After 1845, when the United States annexed Texas, Santa Anna continued to claim that Texas was still a province of Mexico. He refused to recognize the secession and ignored the decisive victories by the predominantly American Texicans in 1836. His attitude eventually led to war.

Early on September 12, 1847 the Americans began an artillery barrage against the Castle that continued throughout the day and resumed at dawn the next day.  After the artillery bombardment ceased, General Winfield Scott ordered his troops to charge the Castle.

A storming party led by forty Marines was followed by a brigade of volunteers. For a time the detachment stalled while they waited for ladders to arrive and for reinforcements held up by heavy Mexican artillery. When the ladders finally arrived, the first wave of Americans ascended the walls led by the Marines. George Pickett (later famous for “Pickett’s Charge” at Gettysburg) was the first over the wall. Several American Generals and other officers were wounded as they led their men over the walls before the Marines were finally able to raise the U.S. Flag over the castle.

During the battle a Mexican army cadet wrapped himself in the Mexican flag and jumped from the extremely high wall to prevent the seizure of the Mexican flag by the Americans.  From a very safe distance, General Santa Anna (yes, the same Santa Anna who captured the Alamo in 1836) watched his army troops melt away in defeat.

The Battle for Chapultepec Castle was marked with extreme bravery and sacrifice by soldiers on both sides, many who were just cadets and volunteers. This was just one of several great battles fought during The Mexican–American War, now an almost obscure conflict between the United States and Mexico (1846-48).

At the end of the Mexican-American War, the United States forced the Mexican government, under the terms of the “Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo,” to give up the Mexican territories of Alta California (now the state of California) and Santa Fe de Nuevo México (parts of west Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Nevada). The Rio Grande became the official boundary between Texas and Mexico. Mexico was forced to forever drop all claims to Texas and California and all of the land between them.

Thus the southern boundaries of the United States of America were set and secured, guaranteeing peace between the the two North American nations for generations to come.

Of course, that was not the case then -- nor is it now.

In 1914, the United States occupied the Mexican port of Veracruz for six months due to a misunderstanding between Mexican guard troops and some U.S. soldiers who had been sent to protect American citizens living there. This incident was one of several diplomatic problems between the two countries related to the Mexican Revolution that was going on at the time.

In response to that misunderstanding, known as the “Tampico Affair,” President Woodrow Wilson ordered the U.S. Navy to occupy both the city and port of Veracruz. When Wilson received an alert that a German delivery of weapons to Mexican rebels was due to arrive there, he ordered the port’s customs office be seized and the weapons confiscated.

In 1913, Mexican rebel armies overthrew the Mexican government during a coup d’état. Wilson refused to recognize the rebels as the legitimate government of Mexico and embargoed all arms shipments to them. Unofficially, Wilson supported what little remained of the Constitutional Army of the previous elected government of Mexico.

It turned out that the arms shipment to Mexico actually originated at the Remington Arms Company in the United States. Remington’s guns and ammunition were shipped first to Hamburg, Germany, and then on to Mexico, an attempt by the company to effectively skirt around the American arms embargo.

Three years later on March 9, 1916, General Pancho Villa ordered nearly five hundred Mexican members of his revolutionary group who were armed to the teeth with American guns and ammunition, to go across the border and attack Columbus, New Mexico. Villa felt the raid was justified because of the American government’s recognition of his enemies, the Carranza regime, and also for the loss of many of his soldiers due to defective bullets that he’d purchased from the United States.

On May 15th, Villa attacked Glen Springs, Texas. One civilian was killed and three American soldiers were wounded. On June 15th, “bandits” (thought to really be Villa soldiers) killed four soldiers at San Ygnacio, Texas. On July 31st, one American soldier and a customs inspector were killed at a Rio Grande border crossing. In each of these incidents all weapons and ammunition used by the Mexican soldiers and bandits were manufactured by esteemed American companies like Winchester, Remington, and Smith & Wesson.

Now, nearly one hundred years later, we are facing another border war with Mexico, presumably not against the legitimate military, but against the warlords of the Mexican drug cartels.

Unlike the brave, dedicated Mexican soldiers and cadets who fought during the Battle of Chapultepec, the armies of these criminal cartels are made up of desperate men. Their only objective is to make huge amounts of money by controlling the flow of illegal drugs and weapons across the North American continent.

President Barack Obama recently met with President Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa of Mexico to try and find a unified way for our countries to defeat the drug cartels. Calderon promised to work with Obama to find a way to stop the flow of illegal drugs and weapons across the border, committing national army and guard troops, local and national police forces, and millions of pesos toward the effort.

Both Obama and Calderon have admitted that the United States bears a heavy responsibility for the successes of the drug trade. Most of the buyers of illegal drugs are Americans. Just as it was when our soldiers and Marines fought the Mexican rebel army at Vera Cruz and against Pancho Villa -- all who were equipped with American made rifles, pistols and ammunition -- the weapons and sophisticated military devices being used by drug cartel soldiers and enforcers are made in U.S. factories, sold by U.S. arms dealers, and then smuggled into Mexico.

American made guns support the drug cartels in Mexico…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNNRwIKgweM

We find ourselves fighting the Mexican-American War all over again on several fronts. Our borders are like sieves, allowing illegal aliens from Mexico and Central America access to all of our country, but especially the southwestern states. Mexican Mafia gangs made up of both citizens and illegal aliens of Mexican descent control entire neighborhoods in some of our largest cities. They easily travel between the two countries carrying drugs and weapons.

The Mexican Mafia controls large groups of prison inmates on both sides of the border -- and in some cases even the prisons themselves. Teenagers are recruited or drafted into area gangs to act as soldiers, enforcers and drug dealers in neighborhoods of our largest cities. The sad truth is that these gangs have also spread their poison out into the smaller towns and rural areas that were previously untouched by crime and the drug trade.

While the primary focus of our political leaders is on Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, these small armies that owe their existence to the Mexican drug cartels are spreading throughout our country. We tend to worry about a few dozen Muslim terrorists sneaking weapons into our country, while thousands of well armed Mexican gang members and drug cartel enforcers are already living in the hearts of our cities, ready to rise up against the civilian authorities at a moment’s notice if and when they are given the order by cartel leaders.

Like Al-Qaeda and Muslim extremist terrorists, these cartel members are vicious, uncaring, and very dangerous. They are willing to kill police officers, government officials, news reporters, and even innocent civilians. They are perfectly willing to kill each other as well, both rival gang members and weak or disloyal members of their own gangs. They do their nasty deeds just like the Islamic terrorists: beheading, extreme and prolonged torture, dismemberment, live burial, hanging, rape and strangulation. While what they do is primarily meant to send a message to their enemies and competitors - and to some extent to create fear among the general public -- they are also happy to commit these atrocities just for the fun of watching other human beings suffer indignities and unbearable pain.

We must face the fact that we are once again at war on our southern border. Fortunately, in this case the Mexican Army and the civil authorities are our allies. That could quickly change should the Mexican military and police forces lose their will to fight or should the leadership of the central government be taken over by politicians with ties to the cartels.

Yes, the battles we face in the Middle East and Asia are critical and must be managed, but President Obama must realize that we have enemy armies on both sides of our southern border. These cartel soldiers (who are nominally Christian and Catholic) are potentially far more dangerous and evil than the armies of Taliban fundamentalists and Islamic extremists located on the other side of the planet.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and local police recently rounded up over one hundred street gang members in a series of raids in North Texas cities. Most of the arrests were for serious criminal charges. A few were arrested on administrative, or immigration violations.

An ICE spokesman said the those arrested represented members of twenty-seven gangs, including the Asian Boyz, Latin Kings, Eastside Locos, Northside Locos, Westside 12, 18th Street, 28th Street, Love Field Players, Mexican Mafia and MS-13. Most of the gangs were affiliated with each other in some way, with MS-13 being the largest and most powerful, taking its orders directly from drug cartel leaders in Mexico.

Why should you be concerned with a small volcano on a tiny island nation so far away? Because sometime in the future it could affect your quality of life. Volcanic activity has always been a precursor to large eruptions under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in southern Iceland. In 1783 an eruption killed a fifth of the population by famine, and created severe climate disruptions across Europe. Even today, a large ash-producing eruption could cause rapid, if temporary, climate changes in the northern hemisphere. Geologic evidence points to many past events in human history.

My wife Claire and I rode mountain bikes across the center of Iceland one spring. We found ourselves surrounded by a stunning landscape of green meadows dotted with sheep and horses, sod covered homesteads, snow-capped mountains against cobalt blue skies, an omnipresent northern ocean, crystal rivers and thundering white waterfalls. In fact, the island nation is so full of extremes, we found the landscape  slightly unsettling. Everywhere we saw evidence of the violence that created Iceland. Gray volcanic rock, collapsed lava tubes, and active steam vents cuddle up against villages of brightly painted homes.

Iceland is a magical place for more than just its landscape. Possibly because of the harshly beautiful landscape, Icelanders believe a variety of wee beings share their magic island: elves, fairies, dwarfs, mountain spirits, hidden people, gnomes, and lovelings. Most modern Icelanders scoff at the beliefs, and yet many still believe in these beings. In recent years, local authorities relocated at least one road  because of unnatural events ultimately blamed on the wee people.

Iceland is part of the Mid Atlantic Ridge, an area where Earth’s crust rises above sea level, continually ripping apart as the tectonic plates slide on the molten mantle. In one photo we took, Claire is straddling the North American plate and the Euro-Asian plate. (See photo below)Iceland is splitting apart slowly and consistently – and yet the people thrive. From its small population of less than 300,000, Iceland has produced many internationally acclaimed writers, painters and musicians. Could the belief in wee people have something to do with their creativity? Go ask a gnome. After all, Iceland is a place of magic.

All this volcanic activity so close to the surface has been a blessing and curse to Icelanders since its earliest settlements. Steam from vents warms homes, produces electricity, and draws tourists during the short summer. Where there is steam, there is fire and water. With lots of precipitation and a location barely kissing the Arctic Circle, Iceland is a unique land with its unusual combination of fire, ice, and rumbling rivers.

Iceland has the third, fourth, and fifth largest ice sheets on Earth – quite a distinction for such a small island nation. Rivers are harnessed for electricity to smelt aluminum as thundering waterfalls carry the rain and glacier melt to the sea. Aluminum ore arrives from all over the world, coming to this small island because of access to cheap hydro-electric power. In recent years, the aluminum smelting industry has been a major contributor to Iceland’s economy, overtaking commercial fishing, an industry in trouble because of increasing competition in the North Atlantic fishery.

The harnessing of rivers has become a contentious issue with Icelanders. While they like the economic benefits, they aren’t so sure about the environmental consequences. They’re also afraid of the consequences to the unmatched purity of their gene pool due to an influx of foreign smelter workers into their island country.

We met a young Icelander, a ranger assigned to a national park in the far north. She is pure Icelandic, lovely and pleasant. She studies opera in Europe, and works summers to pay for her education. We asked about her lineage, and how she could trace her heredity to early settlements of Iceland by the Norse. For years, scientists have used Iceland as a place to study the genetic makeup of humans because the line goes back to the 9th century. These isolated genes were halfway between continents and located far into the inhospitable north. There was little to gain for others in conquering this small island, so Icelanders were left to fight among themselves, and then write epic stories about the battles.

With new gene sequencing methods, it won’t matter much to science if the Icelandic pool  loses its purity, but it’s still important to the people of Iceland. I wouldn’t call it racism in this case, but more akin to their cultural pride. There might be a change in attitude if pure Icelanders begin to intermarry with foreign workers brought in to do the backbreaking and isolated work at the smelters. The social contract within Icelandic culture has many subtleties not easily assimilated or even understood by outsiders. That, of course, is part of the charm of Iceland and its people.

For the well-prepared visitor who arrives properly clothed for wind, rain and snow, bringing along a reasonable amount of cash, Iceland will be a very special treat. Travelers looking for just a bit of adventure, exciting landscapes, and a rather different culture, will find what they are looking for. What they find certainly won’t disappoint them.

In the meantime, let’s hope that Iceland’s fire stays beneath its ice.

For more pictures and facts about Iceland, go to this page at Bob and Claire Rogers’ website.

The problem is that very few people will take advantage of The Cure in spite of the fact that it has been known for decades, requires no direct intervention by a doctor, no insulin pumps or blood sugar tests. The Cure would save thousands of lives and billions of dollars of healthcare costs every year. It would dramatically reduce the personal pain associated with thousands of amputations, bypass surgeries, strokes, years of severely degraded quality of life -- and early death.

So why does  this insidious disease continue to spread? In spite of the fact that the consequences of not taking The Cure can be severe, most victims of the disease reject The Cure.

Is The Cure an inexpensive “magic pill” that has been kept from us by some nefarious plot of the drug industry? No, it’s actually much worse than that.

Well-meaning people are often willing to walk or bicycle to raise money to find a cure for this disease for their loved ones and friends. Each year millions of dollars are donated for research into finding a new “magic” (but probably very expensive) pill, when the nearly free Cure is readily available.

Magazines, television and the Internet have touted this cure for years. By now every Type 2 diabetic and obese person has surely heard about it -- and yet most diabetics choose not to avail themselves of The Cure.

So just what is this magic cure? The way sufferers avoid it, it must be a very bitter pill indeed. However, before I tell you about The Cure, lets look at the disease:

Type 2 Diabetes is not a disease in isolation. It is associated with a larger set of health and lifestyle issues called Metabolic Syndrome, and is endemic in American society. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) based on a sample of 8,842 Americans,“The unadjusted and age-adjusted prevalence of the metabolic syndrome were 21.8% and 23.7%, respectively. The prevalence increased from 6.7% among participants aged 20 through 29 years to 43.5% and 42.0% for participants aged 60 through 69 years…”

Metabolic Syndrome, as generally defined by the American Heart Association and others, can usually be identified as having these characteristics:

• Abdominal obesity (waist of 42 for men and 35 for women)
• High triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, and high LDL cholesterol
• Elevated blood pressure (more than 130 over 85)
• Insulin resistance or glucose intolerance (fasting glucose greater than 100 mg/dL)

It’s true that not all people with these issues will develop Type 2 Diabetes, but if their symptoms are left unaddressed, many likely will. Metabolic Syndrome is a continuum leading to full-blown Type 2 Diabetes, leading to various forms of cardiovascular and organ failure, with dire results.

Diabetes was the seventh leading underlying cause of death listed on death certificates in 2006. Even at that level, diabetes is still greatly underreported as a cause of death. Only about 35 to 40% of those who died with diabetes had it listed anywhere on the death certificate. Only 10 to 15% of studied cases had it listed as the underlying cause of death.

Here’s the kicker: The risk for death among people with diabetes is about twice that of those without diabetes of similar age.

Death is often not the worst part of runaway Metabolic Syndrome and Type 2 Diabetes. Let me illustrate by sharing a personal story:

My best female friend going back to the first grade -- who was also a church choir mate and high school confidant -- became obese during a bad marriage while she was in her twenties. By the time my wife and I reconnected with her when she was fifty, she had taken insulin injections for years. We convinced her to take a medical retirement to better deal with her disease and to also avoid a work environment that fostered her smoking and constant snacking on unhealthy food. We returned to visit her twice after she retired, and found her making slow progress and enjoying life again. On our last visit she crocheted an Afghan for us to use in our motor home. We still treasure her gift and even named it “Linda.” I’m sure you can see where this is going…

Suffering from severely blocked arteries in her heart, brought on by her Metabolic Syndrome and Type 2 diabetes, she went in to the hospital for bypass surgery. At her relatively young age of 53, bypass surgery is a procedure assumed generally safe and effective, at least for the short-term.

Unfortunately, our friend went directly from surgery into intensive care, and suffered there for a month before she died. Diabetes severely limits the body’s ability to heal, and in her case her heart never responded. I cannot imagine a worse death -- being hooked up to tubes, feeling helpless -- and then slowly, painfully slipping away.

She was lucky in some ways. She didn’t have to endure limb amputations, or slow organ failure. She didn’t have to manage most of the myriad of health issues facing Type 2 Diabetics as they grow older, dying before her condition could reach that level.

By writing this I am not trying to make those who are Type 2 Diabetics -- or have Metabolic Syndrome and are pre-diabetic -- feel guilty. Guilt is not a motivator. There is a genetic component that contributes to the development of Type 2 Diabetes in those with Metabolic Syndrome, and even some without the syndrome. My mother had “sugar” -- as they once called mildly elevated blood sugar -- and yet she was never overweight. I know that it is in my genetic makeup and it is as important for me to avoid Metabolic Syndrome as anyone else.

Besides all the pain and suffering caused indirectly by Metabolic Syndrome, the direct yearly costs to our economy for diabetes is $174 billion. A number like that spent on just one disease puts total Medicare expenditures in perspective. We could save all of that every year by just using The Cure.

Here is the good news: Several avenues of research have shown that Metabolic Syndrome and even entrenched Type 2 Diabetes can be reversed with The Cure I mentioned at the beginning of this article. This readily available, inexpensive Cure, is not being accessed by most of the millions of Americans with Type 2 Diabetics. For them it must be a bitter pill indeed.

By now you have probably guessed The Cure:

• Weight loss to achieve a desirable weight (BMI less than 25 kg/m2)
• Increased physical activity, with a goal of at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity on most days of the week
• Healthy eating habits that include reduced intake of saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol

That doesn’t sound so difficult does it? Yes, it takes time, a little sweat equity and changing a few dietary habits. It also requires some lifestyle changes that many people find difficult.

For some the dietary and exercise changes are a threat to their self-image -- even their culture. British television star, Jamie Oliver (“The Naked Chef”), came to Huntington, West Virginia. It’s my home state, and Huntington is a college town. That city had the dubious distinction of being America’s “most obese city” in 2008, with a population suffering a very high incidence of Type 2 Diabetes. Oliver’s mission was to bring his healthy eating program to the children of the public schools. What he found was that the children could not name common vegetables like tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, and turnips. Nor could they identify any of the vegetables that I’d grown as a child on a small farm forty miles away, and available in chain grocery stores everywhere.

Surprisingly, Jamie Oliver was not met with appreciation, but with virulent opposition from many of the locals. They claimed he was trying to take away the culture of the mountains and making them the laughing-stock of the country.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcprJs7euRQ

I suggested through my Facebook posts that doing something about the problem might be a better response. The comments that came back to me were filled with sarcasm about my personal life of exercise and interest in healthy eating.

I tried to point out, with little success, that the original mountain culture did not include fast food, fatty barbecue, pizzas, and popular eating contests. Instead, it included lots of vegetables, whole grains, and local meat. It also included plenty of exercise. My grandfather ate pork most days, and must have had awful LDL numbers, but he was still swinging a mowing scythe when he was ninety.

My friends in West Virginia, and all over America, no longer follow that original lifestyle. Instead, they are eating what the large processed food companies tell them to eat, and are experiencing the consequences of that choice.

I assume this article will upset some readers. We are not a society that likes to take personal responsibility for our health, and we don’t like being preached to or nagged about it. If I have offended you, please know it is not personal. On the other hand, if you have Metabolic Syndrome, or Type 2 Diabetes, I sincerely hope you will reconsider The Cure.

I can assure you that it’s a pill that’s not nearly as bitter as you might think.

Editor’s Note: Chi Newman is a frequent contributor to Just One Opinion. She is our expert on all things Asian, especially Chinese food and culture, because she was born and raised there. Chi wrote this article for her own website at Chi-Newman.com and offered to let us publish it here. I bet you’ll have a craving for Chinese food that will last for days!

Its been several months since I contributed an article to my website and here at Just One Opinion. I’ve been really busy lately, but I felt like writing and sharing some of my Chinese recipes with you. These are not banquet dishes, these are family dishes.

In China, family dishes are called “shia fan,” which literally means dishes that make the rice go down. For common people this type of food can be quite inexpensive, but the ingredients are cooked with so much flavor by the adding of hot peppers, garlic, ginger and onions, that sometimes these “shia fan” dishes taste better than banquet dishes.

You do not need a big piece of meat. One chicken breast, a few shrimp, a pork chop or small piece of steak would be enough to feed a whole family. To these ingredients we add a little bit of this and a little of that – ingredients that are already in your refrigerator. You might have half a green pepper or red pepper, a carrot, some celery sticks, green onions – or some nuts like cashews, almonds or peanuts. Include ginger, garlic, hot pepper sauce, or flakes. Add these to the meat you have to make a very healthy and flavorful meal that will feed the whole family. Chinese hosts always serve rice on the side.

Once you know the art of stir frying, you can always find some things to make a beautiful dish. The actual cooking time is very short, but the preparation and cutting can take time. You’ll need many little bowls to keep each ingredient separate. Marinate the meat in the sauce you will have prepared, but each vegetable should be stir fried separately to retain its color and consistency.

Even in cooking we never forget to practice the “Yin-Yang” philosophy. There is never a Chinese dish that is all white or all dark. There are always contrasting colors and textures in keeping with our philosophy of balance and opposites.

CHICKEN AND CASHEWS

2 chicken breasts, cut into squares

2 egg whites, unbeaten
2 Tbs.of good white wine
1 1/2 Tbs cornstarch
Mix the above ingredients, and toss into the chicken breasts, let stand

2 slices of ginger, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
3 cloves crushed garlic

1 cup of cashews, or peanuts
1/2 green pepper (cut into squares)
1/2 red pepper (cut into squares)
5 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in boiling water till soft. Squeeze dry and cut into squares. (Any kind of fresh mushrooms can be used.)
2 stalks of celery, cut into cubes
Oil (preferably vegetable or peanut oil for frying)

SAUCE

1 1/2 Tbs red wine
1 1/2 Tbsp ketchup (for color)
1 1/2 tsp sugar
3 Tbsps soy sauce
1 Tbsp Hosing sauce (can be bought at any supermarket)
2 Tbsps of hot red pepper sauce (can be bought at any supermarket) I like the Sambal Oilek (ground fresh chili paste, it is made in the USA) (optional)

1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 Tbsp water

Cut chicken breast into squares and mix with unbeaten egg whites, wine and cornstarch. Let stand.
Heat enough oil to fry nuts, season and remove to bowl. Heat oil to fry green pepper, red pepper and celery till cooked but still crisp, season and remove to bowl. Heat oil to fry mushrooms, season and remove.

Heat 6 Tbsp oil till very hot, add ginger, green onions, garlic, till very hot and fragrant, add chicken till it turns white, then add the premixed sauce. Stir till completely mixed. Add the cornstarch and water to chicken to thicken. Now add vegetables and nuts to blend. Remove immediately to platter. Serve with white rice on the side.

Note: This dish has all the ingredients to make a healthy meal. You can exchange the vegetables to broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, or any other vegetables. Remember to keep the vegetables crisp and colorful in contrast with the dark meat. Also note how inexpensive it is to serve a whole meal that is not only healthy but delicious with just a few things you have at home.

HOT AND SOUR SOUP

This is an exciting soup full of contrasting flavors and texture, and a perfect example of the Yin-Yang that I talked about. It ranges from soft bean curd to chewy bamboo shoots. The pork blends well with the smoky shitake mushrooms, and the hot and sour taste is perfect for a cold winter day.

Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes:
5 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 Tbsps soya sauce
5 pre-soaked Chinese shitake mushrooms sliced, or any other mushroom of your choice
1/2 cup of bamboo shoots sliced into strips
1 cup pork sliced into thin strips

Add:
2 cakes of firm bean curd cut into cubes (well drained)
2 Tbsps fresh ground pepper
3 Tbsps rice vinegar, or any vinegar of your choice
3 Tbsps cornstarch mixed with some water to thicken

When soup comes to a full boil add 3 beaten eggs slowly to the broth. To serve add a few drops of sesame oil in each bowl for flavor and sprinkle some chopped coriander leaves.

SWEET AND SOUR PORK

A
1 lb. loin of pork
1 Tbsps sherry or red wine
2 Tbsps soya sauce
1 1/2 Tbsps cornstarch
Enough oil for deep frying

B
1 big yellow onion, cut into squares
1 big carrot, quartered
Enough oil to fry carrot and onion till cooked.
1 medium size can pineapple chunks, drained.

C
6 Tbsps sugar
4 Tbsps soya sauce
1 Tbsp red wine
2 Tbsps vinegar
4 Tbsps catsup
2 tsps pickle relish
a few drops of Tabasco sauce

1 Tbsp of cornstarch, mixed with 1/2 cup water.

Cut pork into 1 1/2 inch cubes. Mix well with A ingredients, except oil. Heat oil till very hot, and fry till golden brown. Turn out on a plate.

Heat about 4 Tbsps oil and stir fry carrots and onions till cooked. Add pineapple and remove to plate

Mix C ingredients in a large pot, except for the cornstarch. Add A and B ingredients. Let it come to a boil, add cornstarch mixture to thicken, remove immediately and serve.

CUCUMBER SALAD

6 pickling cucumbers, or 3 English cucumbers (unpeeled, or peeled if you wish)
3 slices of ginger, cut into thin strips
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
2 green onions, cut into small pieces
Mix well and add enough salt to coat. Cover and let stand for an hour or so. Drain well and wash with cold water. Pat dry completely.

Mix above ingredients and place in a serving bowl.

SAUCE

2 Tbsps soya sauce
2 Tbsps rice vinegar (or any vinegar of your choice)
2 Tbsps toasted sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp hot pepper sauce.
1 Tbsps white sesame seeds

Mix above ingredients, and pour over cucumbers. Mix well and place in refrigerator. Serve with the above dishes.

I hope you enjoy these dishes and if you have problems, contact me through my website.

Love, Chi

After I saw the entire documentary, “The Big Buy: How Tom DeLay Stole Congress,” I was left wondering if our government is really “of the people, by the people, and for the people” -- or if practically all levels of government, both state and federal, are controlled by corporations and big money contributors. After watching this documentary, I think I know the answer.

Our elected representatives may say they place their votes for the good of their districts or for the country as a whole. In reality most of them decide how to vote for the benefit of corporate interests who are willing to pay for their campaigns and entertainment. Tom DeLay is a near perfect example of this principle.

Tom DeLay was forced out of office because he did the “Texas Two-step” with the law. In Texas, as in many other states, corporate political contributions can not legally be accepted for local or state political campaigns. DeLay found ways to not only get around the law, but also chose to simply ignore it. His successful use of corporate money resulted in his ability to become the most powerful politician in Texas. Eventually, his lobbying led to an off-year redistricting of congressional districts in Texas that changed the balance of power in the Texas state legislature -- and ultimately the United States House of Representatives.

Now Tom DeLay is a disgraced “former member” of the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served from 1984 until 2006. He was Republican Party House Majority Leader from 2003–2005, when his legal problems forced him to step down.

In 2005, a Texas court charged DeLay with criminal violations of state campaign finance laws and money laundering. DeLay pled not guilty, claiming political motivation for the charges. The prosecutor has yet to bring the case before a jury. Two of DeLay’s aides were convicted in the Jack Abramoff scandal. Although closely associated with Abramoff, Delay was not legally implicated in that scandal.

He began his career as a politician in 1978 when he ran for Texas House of Representatives. Once referred to as “Hot Tub Tom” because of his drinking and partying ways, he claimed to have become a born-again Christian in the mid-1980s. He now calls himself a “Pentecostal Christian.” As House Majority Whip, he helped Newt Gingrich lead the so-called “Republican Revolution,” pushing the Contract for America, which led to Democrats losing their majorities in Congress for the first time in forty years.

Delay helped start the “K Street Project,” a maneuver to pressure Washington lobbying firms to hire only Republicans in top positions, and then reward loyal GOP lobbyists with direct access to influential officials.

Elected House Majority Leader after the 2002 midterm elections, he enforced party discipline and direct retribution against any GOP members of Congress who did not support the agenda of President George W. Bush.

Known as a staunch conservative during his years in Congress, he earned high marks from conservative interest groups. Even though he has been under indictment for almost four years, DeLay is still considered a hero by the conservative movement and even by most Republicans. There is a general consensus by the Republican faithful that if he hasn’t been convicted of anything yet, then the charges are political in nature -- in spite of the fact that many of his associates were also charged and several actually convicted.

I looked to see if the documentary was available at another time or on another channel, but finally found it on Netflix.com. I used my privileges as a subscriber to watch the entire movie online. I found it to be very informative, not only about DeLay and his scandals,  but also the recent workings of the Republican Party.

Tom DeLay managed to change the balance of political power in Texas for years to come -- and also that of the national Republican Party. Almost all the issues with the GOP that finally drove me away from the party several years ago can be traced directly to DeLay and Newt Gingrich -- and now to their successors, John Boehner and Eric Cantor.

Trailer for “The Big Buy: How Tom DeLay Stole Congress”. . .

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEeigH-IwkM

I strongly suggest that you rent this DVD or watch it online no matter what your political persuasion might be. If you are a progressive or independent, you will probably be disgusted with what you learn. If you are a conservative or moderate Republican, you may discover how the current Republican Party lost its way, as well as the origins of the modern conservative party that is now trying to take over the GOP.

I’ll let you take a jaunt over to their site to read their story for yourself, but their account of the incident is quite an eye opener for those of us who might have any questions about the humanity, hospitality, or professionalism of our Chinese cousins – even those located in remote locations in southern Asia.

According to Bob, they suffered some scratches, bruises, and maybe a slight concussion. But they will take a day or two to rest and heal and then continue on their way.

Please visit their article and leave them an encouraging comment and some good wishes for the rest of their trip. I’m sure they will enjoy hearing from everyone and will appreciate our continued support for their efforts.

I was exhausted and out of breath whenever I did those kinds of calisthenics -- barely able to even whisper -- and that was only after  five minutes of exercise.

By the time I was in elementary school Jack LaLanne was already a big celebrity. My mother watched his show practically every day even though she never exercised. Every afternoon my mom would sit down and watch Jack LaLanne, Liberace, and Queen for a Day, all local shows from Hollywood that followed her daily block of network soap operas. I guess that must have impressed me at the time. Jack LaLanne and Hopalong Cassidy were my favorite heroes in those days. They still are. The difference was that Hopalong Cassidy was a fictional character that carried two ivory handled guns; Jack LaLanne was a real person who didn’t need any guns.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEboAJf9UVc

In 1969 I was privileged to meet Mr. LaLanne while working as an installer/repairman for Pacific Telephone in the Hollywood (CA) exchange area. One morning I was given a service request at in a home located in the Hollywood Hills overlooking Hollywood and Los Angeles. The order indicated that the customer’s name was “J. F. LaLanne.” Until I arrived at the home and was invited in, it never occurred to me that this particular “LaLanne” was “that LaLanne.”

The house was very neat and tidy, but somewhat small when compared to most of the other homes around it. A very attractive lady wearing a fitted jumpsuit answered the door and invited me in. She took me into a room near the back of the house with large sliding doors or huge windows that looked out over a shining blue pool toward an unrestricted view of the smoggy Los Angeles basin below and to the south.

“Jack! The telephone man is here!”

A little man came into the room and briskly shook my hand. “Hi! I’m Jack,” he said. “Welcome to our home. I guess you’ve come to fix my phone?”

I was only 5 feet 10 inches tall, but I seemed to tower over this little man. But that’s where my advantage ended. Even though I was only half his age, it was immediately clear to me that I would be foolish to ever try to pick a fight with this fellow. He was all muscle and bone covered in a tightly fitted blue jump suit. Impressed? You bet! It was obvious to me that this pleasant fellow was for real and clearly practiced what he preached on TV.

Even though I was just a “Joe Average” working man that came to their home to do a dirty job, I was treated with the utmost courtesy by both of the LaLanne’s and I still have fond memories of my very brief visit to their home.

When my brother graduated from the University of Nebraska in the early 1970s, he returned to Southern California and stayed at my home for a few months until he found a full-time job. As luck would have it, instead of getting a job at the telephone company where I worked, he was hired as a manager-trainee for Jack LaLanne’s Health Spas. Although I never had the privilege to see Mr. LaLanne in person again, I know that my brother would see him from time to time as he made visits to the various gyms and spas in the Los Angeles area. Thanks to his employment at several upscale LaLanne health spas, my brother was able to make many new friends and excellent business contacts that served him well in later years.

My last contact with Mr. LaLanne was in 1984 near Long Beach, California. I was in the area to install a telephone system in a small business near the beach.

After I parked the service van, I noticed crowds gathered down by the beach looking way out into the bay. I wandered over and asked one of the bystanders what was going on.  He pointed out toward a distant column of small boats and said, “Jack LaLanne is swimming across the bay. He’s towing a hundred people in fifty boats. That little son of a bitch is like eighty or something. Can you imagine? How’s he do that?”

Needless to say, just being in proximity to such an event was a privilege. I was impressed that this little old fellow that I’d met fifteen years before could even think of doing anything like that.

Actually, when he swam that day in the ocean near Long Beach, LaLanne was “only” 70. Oh yeah, and he was “only” pulling 70 people in 70 boats. No big deal, you say?  On top of that, he accomplished this particular feat of strength and endurance while handcuffed and in shackles.

He managed to swim to the Queen Mary without losing a single boat or passenger in spite of rather rough waves -- and lived to see at least another twenty-five years.

What more can I say? What an amazing person Mr. LaLanne was then -- and still is!

His latest accomplishment? Jack LaLanne turned 95 on September 26th. Happy birthday, Mr. LaLanne!

We can only guess what amazing feat he will do for his fans on his 100th birthday. I certainly hope that I live long enough to find out…

Check out Jack LaLanne’s website for more information about this truly unique human being.

• We do not have the original writings of the New Testament. What we have are copies of these writings, made years later—in most cases, many years later. And none of these copies is completely accurate since the scribes who produced them inadvertently and/or intentionally changed them in places. All scribes did this.


Adam naps while God tries to explain to Eve the logic of his being dressed and her being naked...

• There are more differences among preserved manuscripts than there are words in the New Testament.
• The twenty-seven books we call the New Testament were not gathered into one canon and considered scripture, finally and ultimately, until hundreds of years after the books themselves were first produced.
• We do not know precisely how old the New Testament is. It could be 1,200 years; we just don’t know. But we do know that it’s not 2,000 years old as I was taught growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness.
• The third-century church father Origen, made the following complaint about the copies of the Gospel at his disposal: “The differences among the manuscripts have become great, either through the negligence of some copyists or through the perverse audacity of others; they either neglect to check over what they have transcribed, or, in the process of checking, they make additions or deletions as they please.”
• The story of Jesus and the woman taken in adultery in John 7:53 – 8:12 is arguably the best known story about Jesus in the Bible. It is a brilliant story, filled with pathos and a clever twist where Jesus uses his wits to get himself—not to mention the poor woman—off the hook. However, to the careful reader, the story raises many questions. To name just two:
  • If Jesus did teach a message of love, did he really think that the Law of God given by Moses was no longer in force and should be obeyed?
  • Did he think sins should not be punished at all?
• Good questions, but as it turns out, the aforementioned verses were not originally in the Gospel of John. In fact, they were not originally part of any of the Gospels. Scribes added these twelve verses later. This story and these verses are not found in the oldest and best manuscripts of the Gospel of John and the writing style is very different from what is found in the rest of John.
• The last twelve verses in the Gospel of Mark were invented by a scribe many years after it was in circulation, and absent from the two oldest and best manuscripts of Mark’s Gospel. It’s a mysterious, moving, and powerful passage and used by Pentecostal Christians to show Jesus’ followers could speak in unknown tongues. Ironically, it’s also the principal passage used by “Appalachian snake-handlers” who take poisonous snakes in their hands to prove their faith in the words of Jesus.
• Paul did not write verses 34 and 35 in 1 Corinthians 14.  They were added by a scribe, possibly influenced by 1 Timothy 2, which we know was written by a follower of Paul, not by Paul. (1 Timothy was forged in Paul’s name by someone living later.)
• The anti-Jewishness of some second- and third-century Christian scribes played a role in how the texts of scripture were transmitted. One of the clearest examples is found in Luke’s account of the crucifixion, where Jesus is said to have uttered a prayer for those responsible: “And when they came to the place that is called ‘The Skull,’ they crucified him there, along with criminals, one on his right and the other on his left. And Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.’” (Luke 23:33-34) As it turns out, this prayer of Jesus cannot be found in the oldest manuscripts which date back to about 200 C.E. It’s first found in manuscripts produced during the Middle Ages.
• The Christian scribes—whether of the early centuries or of the Middle Ages—not only copied scripture, they changed scripture. Sometimes they didn’t mean to – they were simply tired, or inattentive, or on occasion, inept. At other times, though, they meant to make changes, as when they wanted the text to emphasize precisely what they personally believed about the nature of Christ, or about the role of women in the church, or about the wicked character of their Jewish opponents. (In the 1950s, Jehovah’s Witnesses rewrote the Bible, calling it The New World Translation, to make it fit their unique beliefs. So it should not come as a surprise that this type of thing happened many, many times in the long history of the Bible.)

How the Bible was finalized -- a basic history…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXFYgI5kld4

I’m a victim of my upbringing…you know, You Are What You Were When. Forty years in the world of big business has hardened me, but I grew up in a place and time when the biggest lie you told when you were a kid was about whether you had taken another cookie out of the cookie jar. Honesty prevailed. Whether it was a kid bet or an adult business transaction, handshake deals were honored. People who were dishonest or lied habitually did not fare well. I conducted my business career in lockstep with the way I was brought up, and was once told by a business person I respected that my kind of thinking was old fashioned. You can succeed in today’s world if you think that way…it’s just more difficult.

As hard as I try to swim upstream against an overwhelming tide of anti-Obama, anti-liberal dogma that is flowing out of countless sources every day, I am impacted by it. Much of what comes at me through the internet is pure garbage…and if it is obvious that it is manufactured or just malicious, I delete it. Some of what comes at me seems to be very real, and is frequently confirmed by what I have naively assumed are non-biased television news reports. That bubble is popped when someone lectures me on what news channels favor liberals and which ones favor conservatives.

Snopes.com is supposed to be the definitive arbiter of what is true and what is untrue…I used it today to check out a story emailed to me by a conservative friend. It was allegedly penned by noted historian, Dr. David Kaiser, and was entitled “History Unfolding.” It’s an intriguing article, but according to Snopes, it was not written by Kaiser, but by someone identified as “TPS” who posted it on a blog. Okay, so what am I to believe when my conservative friends tell me that Snopes is controlled by liberals? In this case, I think I believe the information Snopes presented because it sounded reasonable, but then, so did the information about who wrote the article.

All of this starts at the top. When Joe Wilson called out President Obama, he did it in a way that was beyond political decorum…but he may have hit the nail on the head on the subject that triggered his outburst. As a result of Barack Obama’s denial that illegal immigrants would benefit from health care reform, and Joe Wilson’s outburst, Democrats decided they needed to “drill down” on the health care proposal. Senator Kent Conrad (D-N.D) and Senator Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said “The group would add a proof-of-citizenship requirement for participation in the new health-care exchange— a move likely to inflame the new left.” Did the President lie intentionally…or did he simply misinterpret the information? Again, how do we know what to believe?

What has been driven home to me lately is that I am part of the unhealthy division of our country now. In spite of my efforts to try and understand both sides, I am more politically conservative than I am politically liberal. Most of my friends and associates are conservatives. I probably tend to believe too much of the anti-Obama, anti-liberal dogma that is floated past me when I am trying to be a good liberal conservative. I can only promise that my drive to get to the truth will intensify.

Leader of the Conservative Liberals?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=edUuhfcJPzg

Barack Obama was hailed as the messiah when he was elected. Now, many supporters loosely claim that he was elected with over 60% of the popular vote, when in fact he was elected with 53% percent of the popular vote. No matter which poll you dare to believe, he now has the support of no more than 50% of Americans. The latest Rasmussen Report shows that 32% of the nation’s voters Strongly Approve of the way he is performing his job, and 38% Strongly Disapprove of the way he is performing his job. Any way you massage it, you can’t deny we are a country divided right down the middle.

That is not anti-Obama information, it is truthful information. I am presenting it because I am disgusted with what we have become as a country. Politics aside, there are moral, social, and financial issues nipping at the divide as well, but they are more subjective. It is fortunate America is not geographically and politically divided cleanly along north/south or east/west lines, or we might be headed toward a modern version of civil war.

I had originally intended to continue this article with support for my contention that Barack Obama is not John F. Kennedy or Ronald Regan, and discuss some of my feelings about things like ACORN, but then realized that I would be contributing to the very thing I am railing against.

No matter what you believe, our nation needs Barack Obama to succeed because he will be the president for the next three and a half years. If you don’t like him, work hard for a potential successor, and do it with honesty. If you do like him, support him with honesty. This country was built on honesty and hard work. That’s not just corny rhetoric…it’s something real that everyone can participate in. I for one don’t want to be the worst kind of liberal conservative.

[Photo credit to Eva Heinsbroek, Netherlands for "cute monkeys."]

How Starbucks Saved My Life:
A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else

Before we started playing bridge last week, one of my reading buddies, Annette Vogelsang, dropped this small book on my table and said, “I think you’ll enjoy this feel good, inspirational read. Give it back when you’re through.”

As I moved from table to table playing east/west, my opponents commented on the title, How Starbucks Saved My Life, with a wide range of observations and questions, although I had no idea what the book was about. Several hours later, I read the following promo on Amazon:

“In his fifties, Michael Gates Gill had it all: a mansion in the suburbs, a wife and loving children, a six-figure salary, and an Ivy League education. But in a few short years, he lost his job, got divorced, and was diagnosed with a brain tumor. With no money or health insurance, he was forced to get a job at Starbucks. Having gone from power lunches to scrubbing toilets, from being served to serving, Michael was a true fish out of water.

“But fate brings an unexpected teacher into his life that opens his eyes to what living well really looks like. The two seem to have nothing in common: She is a young African American, the daughter of a drug addict; he is used to being the boss but reports to her now. For the first time in his life he experiences being a member of a minority trying hard to survive in a challenging new job. He learns the value of hard work and humility, as well as what it truly means to respect another person.

“Behind the scenes at one of America’s most intriguing businesses, an inspiring friendship is born, a family begins to heal, and, thanks to his unlikely mentor, Michael Gill at last experiences a sense of self-worth and happiness he has never known before.”

I must admit that this didn’t do too much for me, but I had the book and decided to at least read the first chapter. After doing so, I was hooked. It’s a unique, easy–to-read, not too “heavy” memoir about showing respect to others and the dignity of work. It’s relentlessly positive, inspirational, and well written; it brought tears to my eyes, although it may be because I’m an old white man too. Okay, it was a bit schmaltzy, bordering on corporate PR for Starbucks. But I liked the book very much.

After reading it, I decided to check out the Amazon reviews, which can often be as interesting as the book itself. Of the forty-five, the majority gave it accolades. However, two reviewers were less than gracious about the author, not the book, reporting: “Each chapter has a flash back of the author’s rich, arrogant life, with no reason or purpose, and he shamelessly name drops. While I gained a tremendous respect for Starbucks after reading the book, I have no regard for Michael Gates Gill.”

“Strange comments,” I thought, knowing you can’t please everyone. Yes, the book is a great testament about the culture at Starbucks. However, I liked Michael Gill. Sure, he was a pompous ass for most of his life, but in the end, he got it right. I have the feeling that most readers will feel the same way as I did. I know that’s how Tom Hanks assessed Mike, or at least that’s what his Starbucks’ partners called him.

How could you not like Mike, Crystal, or Kester? In fact, if someone would like to dislike a character in the book, how about Tawana? I suspect that Tom Hanks had the same likes and dislikes about these characters, because he just bought the rights to make the movie. Guess which of the characters he plans to play?

Promotional video for this book…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBvW2Uuph9g