Regular readers know that periodically I like to go off on the tricks and maneuvers the 'powers that be' like to play on us hapless citizens. Sometimes it is the annoying public service announcements which crowd the Internet radio broadcasts, telling us the obvious or not so obvious things of going through life. Other times it is about the latest and greatest news regarding medications, pros and cons, or which diet is the best to follow. Yesterday I heard on the national news about a ‘study’ which showed people who use salt regularly in their diets do NOT have a higher risk of elevated blood pressure or other maladies than those who do not use salt. I knew it! I just knew it!
A few years ago it was eat fat versus not eating fat, bacon vs. no bacon, even coffee vs. no coffee. One of the anchors on the program I was watching announced she was going right out after the show to get a bag of real potato chips. Her co-worker wished her well on that, since the mayor of New York has made it his personal mission to eradicate salt from restaurants and schools. Another study showed, surprise surprise, that fat people are no more or less healthy than skinny people. If stranded in a car on the side of the road in a snowstorm, a heavier person would likely live three days longer than someone with little weight on their bones. I think I have written about this in the past, wondering who in the world determined that being ‘obese’ is a crisis. A few years ago it was mental illness being all the rage, and now, it’s food! Reportedly millions were spent to remove salt and transfats from restaurants----gotta love the government being involved in every aspect of people’s lives!
It would seem that north Florida, according to the same scientists who discuss salt and obesity, might be skipped over by the hurricane. Mixed feelings erupt in my heart and head, relief over likely being spared but sorrow for those who will be clobbered. Yesterday I promised Connie, the maintenance lady, I would let everyone in the building know to secure their outdoor decorations and such in the event the storm winds come this way. Now I feel as though that might be overkill but I will still send out the notice. Better secured than sorry, I guess.
I was wishing that I had sheets of plastic on hand to put over the windows, but the Bible study ladies thought that would be ineffective. Hardly. I would be most happy to have something to put over the openings where my windows used to be to protect what remained of my home, right? Someone else suggested hurricane shutters which are wildly expensive, and only one unit in my building has them installed. It will be crowded in there if we all seek shelter with Hugh and Maureen! They use their shutters regularly, though, to keep the morning sun out (i.e. heat) and then in the winter, to help keep the cold at bay. They are not as crazy about the heat as I am!
