Saturday, June 07, 2003
TOOTH PASTE
I am , at age eighty-seven, finding out what the term "tooth paste" really means.
It is not, definitely not, what most of us think it has always been. Instead of the flavorful mixture which is intended to clean, polish and, perhaps "nourish" teeth and gums, when used properly on a long handled, mouth-sized brush , it is, rather, a substance designed to hold dentures in place - a sort of glue, an adhesive paste.
That's where the reality term ”paste” comes into the picture in a serious fashion. Some have a "breath sweetener" added and one actually claims to have a hint of mint. Most are a sticky substance which is not intended to taste good or to nourish or sustain.
Once you start using them, it is a totally different world. It calls for a period of transition, too, getting used to the "feel" of having the substance in your month. It is not a favorite with taste buds and none t think, makes any claims of dietary benefits.
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In my time of toothlessness, I have learned a great deal about such materials. It quickly became a matter of experiment, I found. By trial and error we come to know which seems to work best for us - for a time, at least. Methods of application are the critical point, I think.
I tried one powdered preparation given to me by the dentist who removed my last tooth. Results were, to me, sub-standard. I don't feel my trial was a fair one entirely because the sample container did not have a narrow outlet to allow only a small, thin line of powder sift into the dentures. When I had devised a narrow outlet for the powder, it worked much better. The manufacturer's carton sifted the powder out like a salt-shaker. As a result, I got the powder all over the denture rather than in the proper cavity and ended up with sticky lips, jaws and fingers. Packaging is one thing, then , which should be considered seriously.
I have tired three paste types and one fabric insert type and have not yet found any one which is always trustworthy. Only on rare occasions does any one of them live up to the glowing accounts on the TV and print commercials. There are times, however,when they have exceeded such claims. There is still reason, however, for whomever is responsible for "tooth in advertising" to look into that particular phase of advertising.
I assumed, and, I think most novices do the same sort of thing, that the idea was to coat the gum surface with a generous layer of the "paste" worked down into the denture form which is to be in direct contact with the gums. The tendency is, then, to press it down, or up, and wait for it to "firm up." I soon found that this path way has several wrong turns in it: too much goo is bad, too much pressing is bad, as well. The stuff will ooze out around your teeth. It can even tend to glue your gum to your cheek. Once that happens, you had best rinse your mouth well with hot water and start all over again.
I found all of these substances to work well to a degree. They seemed to do so much better at one time than another, but that, I found, has a lot of do with the exact procedure of installation. You can't hurry this operation. It will pay to take you time and do each step deliberately and sure or you will be doing it all again very shortly.
I'm still learning the hard way. And, don't get the idea that this is mainly for old folks. You will get your chance to check it out and to learn what to eat and drink and when.
One thing, for sure, is the realization that if I had spend the same amount of time in caring for my real teeth, I would not be eating with ersatz choppers today!
A.L.M. June 6, 2003 [c619wds]
Friday, June 06, 2003
HERO WORSHIP
It is plain to see, during these early days of the month of June 2003, that the American public retains generous portions of hero worship in its general makeup.
In the news of this week we have experienced several events which illustrate that point. I think it to be important that we examine our thinking along such lines to be sure we maintain this attitude of respect and appreciation for those we admire or dislike or, simply “put up with” because they are here and, in a sense, one of us. It is, I feel, a good trait to preserve and nurture.
Three stories have been headlined in the past few days. One deals with the mis-adventures of Martha Stewart, business tycoon and TV personality. Another finds Sammy Sosa holding the shattered remains of an illegal bat on the baseball diamond and the other remarks on the publication this coming Monday of a new book – a much expected one - supposedly by Hillary Clinton detailing here feeling during the Monica Lewinsky scandal in which her husband Bill, our President, was so crudely involved.
Any one of these offenses against society, which, after all, is our definition of “crime” would seems to be sufficient grounds for condemnation of an individual in contrast to our former acceptance of their conduct. But, such is not the case in any of these three cases
The Sosa baseball story, no doubt, was the one which took the most people by surprise. The other two were in the making for months. Sammy Sosa was idolized by million for his sensational home run accomplishments; for his ability to bat the ball out of the park - and almost, it seemed at times, to order. He broke existing records and set new ones, stirred no ideas that he might be using devious methods of doing such wonderful things. All that changed with one, odd-sounding whack!
He is being suspended. Fans are, however, still holding up large posters saying: “We still love Sosa!” For the most part there is a strong body of sympathy for the player, including standing ovations, rather than harsh criticism While admitting that he may well have done wrong the excuse he created as he ran around the field, that he had simply picked up the wrong bat by “mistake”one used for batting practice only. His stock of over sixty bats is being x-rayed today to see if any contain unusual internal materials..
I joined that group, in a sense, when I agreed with comments made yesterday that I hoped the officials do not go all-out to ruin Sammy Sosa as they Pete Rose. I have read that the suggested punishment is suspension for ten games and a fine of $25,000. Most fans feel that, such a fine and some punishment is logical, but that anything in excess of that would be vindictive and cruel. The hero worship aura is still there for many Sosa fans.
The same may be said to be true in the Stewart fiasco. We were better prepared for this to happen .Nine indictments were handed out which means the trials will drag out for months, even years. Martha Stewart has a tremendous following in her TV roles and even though she had a reputation in the business world as being stern, uncompromising and assertive, often to extremes, her troubles do not come as a big surprise to most admirers. She was already thought of as being crafty, elusive and innovative. Her admirers are pleased that she has denied all charge and will fight it through the nation's courts!
Hillary Clinton and her new book centered around the Monica Lewinsky scandal,has the same sort of appeal and will gather sympathy and a feeling of warm commonality among her supporters. Some say the book is a starting point for her run for President next year or in '08. it is one way to answering campaign question well before the campaign gets started; one more way of unifying a following for an Oval Office run.
The elements of Hero Worship are hard to kill. They are also inexplicable at time, as well ...such as the many cases in which men on Death Row for killing their wives or sweethearts, get offers of marriage and gifts of money from women all over the nation.
A.L.M. June 5, 2003 [c721wds)
Thursday, June 05, 2003
STRIVING
What about the general attitude concerning lifestyle which we seem to be so intent on maintaining? We have set up standards by which we judge if we are living proper and normal lives.
Even as we do so, I think, we accept the idea that a “normal” life is and of little interest and certainly not worthwhile.
Being "healthy" is , to some extent, feeling good about ones self. How we feel about ourselves is not often critical, but it can be costly if we have an unmerited opinion of our own worth. It can be overdone and used as a crutch to hold up a body which is all but dead in one sense of the word.
Pretending we are someone whom we do not even try to be, is a mistake and results in personal troubles for us and for others about us as well.
It is a common place hazard for many of us. There are people who constantly dwell on feeling sorry for themselves and they compile larger and longer lists of things that seem to be wrong and adjust the rest of their lives - and yours - to fit that pattern they have contrived. Physical illness seems to be a favorite and conditions and circumstances are beyond classification. Some dwell on exotic, tropical maladies while others harken back to the olden days and re-take things their grandmothers are supposed to have had.
Actual pain and suffering become real to these people and they do, indeed, suffer marked discomfort, especially as they either "treat" the condition from which they suffer or refuse to do so. Some demand the attention of every doctor in sight while others decry the low standards of today's medical profession and go their own herbal way.
The problem seems, to me, to have worsened in recent years, too. or, it may be that I am at that age when one thinks more about dying. I have heard to expressions concerning thinking well recently: "I plan to live forever. So far - so good!" ...and the other had something to do with the word "immortality" but the twist on it escapes me for the moment. Another one: "Each morning when I wake up, I read the obituaries and if my name isn't in them - I get dressed."
Striving to live longer takes a sense of humor, I suppose. George Burns tried it, and Bob Hope is right in there trying. That's stance - that attitude, is I think, an important part of living. Excesses or all types are best avoided, I'm sure and healthy exercise routines must be used on a regular basis. Pain - real or imaginary - leads to inactivity and that, in turn leads to sedentary habits and the physical side of the body wastes away in disuse. It is slow suicide and millions of people die because of it.
Far too many of us fall victim to our own laziness in this phase of our later years. Get with it. Find yourself a personal "matra" which symbolizes what you want to be, then strive to fill in the details which make it a true picture of who our really are.
Typical of it all, I am absolutely positive as I sit here on my cushioned chair and touch keys which write all this down for me - even check the spelling - as I “work” in tiresome comfort and pontificate on the subject. Where are you, at this precise moment?
So often, you see it is not others who are doing or, not doing all of this sort of thing - it's us.
A.L.M. June 3, 2003 [c563wds]
Wednesday, June 04, 2003
DECEPTIONS
I am often amazed at the ways in which so many people prove to be so gullible and confused when they meet with deceptions. How can they - or, we – have been so dumb?
At the same time, I am aware that people may be looking at me and having identical thoughts about my actions, lack of them, decisions and choices. I suppose we are all likely candidates for being victims of con schemes ...especially self-induced ones. We can all be conned in a wide variety of ways, I'm sure.
A common area for such willingness to be scammed can been seen today in the medical and health products fields. Any figures you care to come up with will, in all likelihood, be away off base in estimating the amount of money spent on fake medications or diluted substances. Fraud and deceptions are running rampant in the medical field and just about all of us have fallen victim to them at one time or another ...unwittingly or knowingly under the guise of curiosity and adventurous experimentation.
It is not only the underprivileged and uneducated segments of our society who are victims of deception,either, but the well-educated and affluent are a prime target for deceptive practices as well skillfully graded to suit such needs as they might encounter. Less than legal business practices are, tempting to the newly rich, in particular. It's part of "Sudden Wealth Syndrome" which we are hearing about in this time of new millionaires being created faster than ever before.
Health fads fool more people than we might imagine. Many such schemes operate - some legally (more or less) - for many years and build large followings. Thousands of people are "taking" daily doses of so-called multiple vitamin products in pills and capsule form... all colors, all sizes and shapes, to suit the imagined need of men, women and children. The edge of the medical field is also home to far too many charlatans who practice pseudo-doctor careers at great profit - preying on the aged, inept and infirm.
Man's gambling instincts often rule our lives far more than we admit. The readiness to be conned is evident in just about every field of man's varied occupational interests. Not one is totally immune.
Deception leads to intolerance, too. Racial and ethnic differences are turned from molehills into mountains for monetary reasons and thousands of people "buy into" such tangential thinking, a great cost to all of us.
Few of us escape the common enemy of fraud. "Charity" campaigns often play on our gullible nature to forward other ends. We all need to re-examine our thinking along these lines from time-to-time ....especially concerning "self-deceptions."
A.L.M. June 3, 2003 [c460wds]
Tuesday, June 03, 2003
A GIRL'S BEST FRIEND
You don't have to be too old to remember when women wore fur coats made with real, animal furs. That era departed rather swiftly when public opinion was swayed in favor of elimination of fur coats because of animal cruelty concerns.
We haven't stopped eating hamburger or chicken salad sandwiches yet, and there is no indication that we are about to give up our enjoyment of seafoods and other eatables which result in the death of creatures.
Nor, has leather been banned. It has been replaced by artificial materials which do as well at less cost, but the making of leather is not forbidden. Except for specialty markets, it is just not as profitable as it was at one time.
Thus far I haven't found a any favorite food products which come up to that taste like the realthjing.Try what they might soy shows.
It seems logical that the next item to go in to oblivion will be the diamond - that symbol of love and romance, that icon of the rich. It is fated to be discontinued as a result of cruelty to humans, oddly enough. The catalyst of this new campaign to forbid the use of diamonds, has gained new impetus from the war and strife in Sierra Leone, Africa, and other such areas. It has grown to such an extent that De Beers, the world's major diamond merchant, has started a PR campaign to improve it's public image.
The situation has existed before - in the Congo, in Angola and other hot spots, but never to the extent that came be in Sierra Leone. The rebel group there, called Revolutionary Union Federation (RUF) a small Muslim-oriented group of malcontents, captured the area in which diamond mining has long been the major occupation. That was in 1991 and since then the group has grown in number and in wealth from the sale of diamonds, smuggled through Liberia and other obliging neighbor nations, to the Antwerp Diamond market. The continuing war is financed by diamond mining in this manner.
The RUF has been particularly cruel in treatment of natives in the mining area. Amputation seems to be the prevailing mode of punishment for even the slightest opposition. Photos of young girls with stubs where hands used to be are becoming all too common.
Several important points must be considered when we think about outlawing diamonds.
First, diamonds have no intrinsic value. They are plentiful and value is maintained solely by market control tactics. Second, one company - De Beers, Antwerpt, Belgium, controls two-thirds of the world's diamond trade. Third, in Sierra Leone, in 1991, remember, the RUF group has become aggressively prominent in disruptive world affairs through their abuse of humans in regard to this traffic in gems. They have become "notoriously brutal" and have gone too far. A logical comparison migh tbe with the cocaine ooeratives in Colombia andtheinteractionof politicalandmilitry stgructgures.
Watch for such a change. Diamonds may well be "a girl's best friend" but there will be thlse who will insist that:“Diamonds must go!"
A.L.M. June 2, 2003 [c549wds]
Monday, June 02, 2003
INTENT TO TILL
Agriculture ..farming, that is ..,has lost it's sense of purpose with many young people, it seems.
Oh, the basic yearnings are still there to a degree, I suppose. A young lad sees things growing and feels an affinity with the Creator in a real, tangible way, and he would like for such feelings to remain, even to grow stronger. They are good feelings.
There is a bit of this yearning in most men, I'd say. It has something to do with survival and of being related to the Source.
We are all farmers at one time, watching things grow and feeling a responsibility to keep them doing so and to help them grow bigger, better, more rapidly and, then, often at that very point, something else enters with the idea that such growth and maturity must be profitable.
At that point the art becomes a job. It now entails work and worry. This is the point at which many lose interest in farming and think of other ways to earn profits easier. The temptations toward being a butcher, a baker or a candlestick-maker become practical lures - whatever seems to need doing that has more certain promise of profits.
No. That is a not "selfishness" or "greed", nor is it to be condemned. It is a natural system of selection which should be encouraged - not stopped. Farming today requires dedicated doers just as it always has. In true farming one is more closely associated with the basic "makings" of civilization. Other occupations, while essential in most cases, are one step removed from the creative process, in a sense, and are given more to frills and thrills along the way like icing on a cake that is already delicious and worthy within itself.
While farming is fundamental; other occupations seem to be add-ons, supplements, or "fixings."
Young folks no longer want to farm in the traditional sense. It has become something it never was before - something we call "big business". Any sensible youngster today, given a choice, is going to see farming as the organized costly and somewhat risky business it has become. Other types of work appear to be - and are in most cases - more profitable.
This change has taken place, too, in my lifetime, too. (1916 to now..- and holding.)
It is a whole, new world!
A.L.M. May 31, 2003 [w641wds]
Sunday, June 01, 2003
RELEVANCY
So often what we want to do is judged by others to be irrelevant.
That takes some of the enjoyment out of living, I feel, and notice, if you will, please, that I said "living", because the day-to-day activities in which we are all engaged go to make up the totality of "life". It's all those little things woven into a particular, peculiar pattern which gives living a lasting quality and true meaning. If we don't enjoy it as we go along, much of it is a worthless accumulation of nothing, but what we had to do rather than things we anticipated and looked forward to doing.
"Take time," the old saying tells us. "to smell the roses." That's a good guideline to happiness I would say, but there are those among us who look at this simple act as being of silly and romantic - a waste of valuable time which could better be spent - well, planting more roses, for instance, without any conscious intent of enjoying what you are doing. The idea that "someone's gotta do it!" is not valid reason for taking on a task, I'd say. We should make it a point to be happy with what we are doing - even the fulfillment of those daily requirements forced upon us by circumstances - such as household chores and office routines.
If there ever was a man who, during his lifetime, was given a good look at the pattern of his life, Alfred Noble, the Swedish scientist and inventor. He opened up a newspaper one morning to read the obituary of his younger brother who had been killed in an explosion. To his amazement, he found he was reading his own obituary because the Editor had confused his biography with that of his younger brother. In his obituary notice Noble found he was acclaimed as "the merchant of death!" because he had invented dynamite.
No, it was not the New York “Times” in an earlier phase of their recent reporting irregularities.
Alfred Nobel set out to change that horrible memory because he had always been a person who took great joy and satisfaction in helping people. His experiments with explosives were done, primarily, to advance mankind's well-being. It was his "Dynamite" that made the digging of tunnels under the Alps possible, as well as score or more of other achievements. The fact that Man has misused the inventions he discovered to conduct war - which he had long hated and scorned - was not his fault.
Nobel, from that point on, made it one of the joys of his daily living to give his wealth to the advancement of mankind, not only in the Sciences and the Arts, but to world-wide Peace for all mankind. His real obituary, years later, spoke of him as the founder of the Noble Peace Prize. He was revered, too, as the man who found a way to make the use of highly volatile intro-glycerin safer for man (a material he called "Dynamite") to use in construction work as well as devising a score of more of related inventions which helped mankind in many ways. He went right on experimenting - often endangered but dedicated - because he was doing what he enjoyed doing , however irrelevant it must have seemed to many of his critics in his own day.
A.L.M. May 30, 2003 [c867wds]
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