Have I got a great deal for your kids!

What if I told you that there was a treat that looked good and tasted yummy? However, this same treat could produce rage, temper tantrums, OCD, ODD, ADHD and uncontrollable crying in some children. But before you say you don't want any, let me tell you that I have another pill that will subdue your child and the symptoms of ADHD, OCD, etc will magically go away (at least temporarily)! Are you sold yet? Do you think I am nuts? Well, this is what we are doing to our children.

Have you ever heard of red dye #40 or simply known as red 40? It is coloring additive (or dye) was approved in 1971 based on tests conducted by Allied Chemicals. Ironically its creator and manufacturer is .... you guessed it, Allied Chemicals.

Red dye 40 is found almost everything that your kids eat. It appears that making things pretty colors makes kids want to eat them. I don't disagree with that. However in my research I found it in pop-tarts, fruit snacks, cereals, cough medicine, iced-tea, red candies, and so on.

Children are most often the ones who have sensitivity to red 40, whether or not their parents have realized it or not. Reactions include temper tantrums, hyperactivity, aggressive behavior, uncontrollable crying and screaming, kicking, nervousness, dizziness, inability to concentrate and sit still among other findings. Physically you may get frequent headaches or migraines, upset stomach and feel ill after ingesting this additive. Often when Red 40 is eliminated from the child's diet a remarkable change is noticed immediately. 1

Though evidence is anecdotal, there is such an abundance of it that it warrants a serious and impartial look by the FDA. The red dye was not in our food supply until the 1980 and isn't it ironic that diagnoses of ADHD gone up 600% since 1990? The quick fix for doctors and parents has been to feed our children Ritalin.

Let's step back... If you read my blog you will see that I am conservative as the next guy but I wonder about this whole concept of feed them one thing that makes they wild then feed them another thing that calms them down. How about just not feeding them that which makes them wild in the first place??? But if we did that then Honeywell (who owns the patent to red 40) and Novartis Pharmaceuticals (manufacturer of Ritalin) would have fewer customers. Think about it.

I am not saying that there is a conspiracy with these corporations. I am just observing an irony and stating that there is really no incentive for anyone to remove red 40 from foods

We as parents are obligated to learn more about what we are feeding our kids and where it comes from. Our son has a severe allergy to red 40 which makes him a raging madman. Eliminating it from his diet has made him the compassionate, loving boy he really is. Ironically he looked like the perfect candidate for Ritalin. Praise God that my wife dove deeper and learned more and then encouraged me to research this red dye stuff for myself.

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1. Taken from: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/131963/is_the_red_40_food_dye_additive_having.html

My favorite blog entry on this topic: http://fourtimesthefun.blogspot.com/2007/02/feeding-our-children-petroleum-food-dye.html

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Note: The contents of this blog are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It is not a substitute for a medical exam, nor does it replace the need for services provided by medical professional. Always seek the advice of your doctor before taking any prescription or over the counter drugs or following any treatment or regiment. Only your doctor can provide you with advice on what is safe and effective for you. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the Web.

Multiculturalism only leads to balkanism

I just got an email from my Alma Mater telling me about a Multicultural Celebration coming up. I guess the annoyance that is Multiculturalism is something I would like to talk about. This movement has been around for a decade or more and it really troubles me. Not because I look down on other cultures but because it denies that there is a distinct American culture. Or it goes further and labels the American culture in a string of pejoratives.

There is a deeper problem when multiple cultures attempt to occupy the same geographical area. Eventually those who don't value their culture will concede to the other cultures that value their cultures more. If there is an equal partisan value for two competing cultures then either one extinguishes the other or a borderline is drawn.

In world history we see cultures of greater strenght moving in and eliminating cultures of lesser strength and we have seen boudaries drawn and re-drawn over and over. Only in today's America and maybe in ancient Rome has the dominant culture abdicated itself to the minority cultures, mostly out of fear of upsetting what they think is own eternal dominance.

Looking again at today's America if we continue to devalue the distinct Americal culture - which has made this country the greatest ever - and continue to allow all the cultures of the countries be celebrated above our own, then eventually the distinct American culture will be relegated to the history books and each of those multiple cultures will try to fill the void and want their own country within America.

If you think this is nuts then look at world history. Take Europe, for example. Especially see the territory that was once Yugoslavia. The different people who live there are not really that different, but they have battled for centuries and redrawn borders as a result of clashing cultures... essentially ending up with perpetual balkanism. On a lesser scale why do you think Quebec does not get along with the rest of Canada? Language and Culture. The list goes on.

It is only because America is a free country and because of the values that flow from freedom that is there a tolerance for other cultures coming in and saying theirs is superior. Why aren't different cultures going into China or Iran and demanding multiculturalism?

I just don't see Multiculturalism as benefitting anyone. Yes it makes those who hate America feel good today but debasing America's and her culture will not benefit anyone living in America in the long run.

Porn: Only the worst is willing to be seen

I think it is a tragedy that the only ones willing to show how sex is done are the ones who are willing and able to show us how it should not be done.

Like many men the only way I was taught about relating to a woman sexually was though pornography. Unfortunately my dad's dad never talk to him about it and my dad never talked to me about it. I basically had no clue until I saw my first porno at age 17. What are some of the lessons I learned? 1. The woman is ALWAYS ready. 2. The woman has a greater sex drive than the man. 3. The woman does not need warming up. 4. The woman is there at the pleasure of the man. 5. The woman services the man then they have intercourse then he ejaculates on her and both are fulfilled and happy. 6. Oh ya, women always have perfect bodies. Do we see a tragedy yet?

Today's online pornography is even worse. Today's youth are being taught 1. All of the above. 2. Women like to be abused. 3. Women like to be called names and have unlimited amounts of bodily fluids all over them. 4. Women like it when several men abuse them at once. 5. Woman are no more than pieces of meat that want to do anything and everything the group of men decide. Do we see an even greater tragedy evolving? Why are these the only things that we see?

Let's back up a little. What if a young man's parents have a happy, healthy marital sex life? Dad can tell his son how to treat a woman and show him how he treats mom outside the bedroom but obviously he cannot show his son visually inside the bedroom. This is where good adults are hamstrung. The youth do not see what it good and healthy primarily due to morally obvious reasons.

In a perfectly upstanding world we would have videos were women are loved and cherished before, during and after sex; where it shows how long it needs to take a women to warm up; where it shows a couple that actually loves one another and is married. BUT this is the ultimate catch 22. The couples that love each other enough to have a healthy sex life are the least likely to perform in front of a camera.

It is the perverted sex and the distorted sex and the couples that don't love one another that perform for the whole world to see. What if the only sex that was available to see was the kind where the woman is treated like gold and there is love and mutual giving between the couple? I understand I am being pollyanic. The truth is that porn markets to our lowest instincts. It is made to please men and show a fantasy where a man doesn't have to do anything to a woman in order have her jump all over him. That is what sells.

So to summarize; That which is bad for us and instills innacuracies and perversions in our young men is found EVERYWHERE. But that which is healthy, loving and accurate is too embarrasing to show our young men and it is found NOWHERE.

I am not advocating that loving, honest, clean married couples drop their personal convitions and their inhibitions in order to provide instruction to our youth about sex. I am merely pointing out the irony of who is afraid to teach about sex and who is not afraid.

We all pay the price.

Banning of Easter being taken a step further

News wire - 03/23/07

As was reported two years ago, some malls in Florida and elsewhere in the country are forbidding the term "Easter Bunny" and replacing it with "Garden Bunny". UPDATE: The malls have proactively decided to scrap the term "Garden Bunny" because of "Garden of Gethsemane" is mentioned in the New Testament of the Bible.

Dave Woosie, a vice president of a chain of Florida malls, said that because the "Garden of Gethsemane" is the scene of one of the most dramatic events of Bible History on The Fateful Night before the Crucifixion the term garden may offend non-Christians and non-Bible believers.

Other names like "Walking Bunny", "Miracle Bunny" and "Love Bunny" were all vetoed as well because Jesus walked on water, performed miracles and commanded people to love thy neighbor.

At this time the faux furred biped is just being called the "Mall Bunny" since there were no known malls, as we know them today, in Jesus' day.

Just a bat

When (insert favorite baseball slugger here) steps to the plate and knocks the game winner out of the park, how often do we say "what a great bat?" or "I give the bat all the credit". The bat does not then go around asking for more money and signing autographs and looking for more acolades. Let's look beyond the fact that the bat is an inanimate object but that it is just a tool used by the batter to do powerful and awesome things.

When I am living in God's will and things are going well, I lose sight of the fact that I am just a bat and God is the slugger. Without God I am just a bat and with God I am still a bat. I am only an instrument to do His good and when I take the credit I am just being foolish. Yes the bat needs to come to the came in the right shape and condition. That is my responsibility. But the great accomplishments of the bat are to be given to the Slugger.

Keep your successes in perspective and don't give an in-road to satan.

CSI, reality & PC filters

Some time ago I again watched one of my favorite shows - the original CSI. The main crime to be solved on this episode was a group of youths were beating unsuspecting victims. I remembered that there was recently a crime in Las Vegas caught on video where a white, middle aged man was set upon by a group of male and female black youths for no reason. I had read in the news that the same group had done it to other people too. Being a white person this really scared me that any white person could be beaten for no reason by a group of black youths in the city.

Well lo and behold, CSI had to take reality and PC it. In the CSI episode just about every youth in the gang was white and the leader was white. The only black youth in the group was a college student (as opposed to the white kids who were all uneducated). This black youth was killed by Greg (a CSI agent) in self-defense but at the end of the show Greg was overcome with white-guilt for killing this poor innocent child. OK CSI didn't want to be complete copycats to an actual crime but this was blatent.

It reminded me of another episode from 2 or 3 years ago. There was a real life crime where a black woman hit a man with her car. The man was stuck in her windsheild and bled to death in her garage. Well, CSI took it on this real life crime where a suspect hit a man who got stuck in the windsheild. The suspect then kept the car in their garage and the victim bled to death. Ok, guess the race and gender of the person who hit pedestrian..... yep a white male. He was a young lawyer that didn't want to hurt his career. I guess it makes for better TV since people tend to hate sniveling young lawyers more than a lower class black woman.

I am not a racist. I believe in the truth, not a filtered truth that makes everyone feel better. CSI does everyone a disservice by making believe that "PC thinking" is reality when they are afraid to portray reality as reality.

What if an "old time" crime show came out and it showed groups of middle class blacks in Indiana in the 1920's lynching white people and hanging them from trees? Well, that is absolutely preposterous. That is the opposite of what actually happened. The races would be 100% reversed from reality. We have see the pictures.

So why is it not considered preposterous that CSI reverses the races from reality? We have seen the videos and the news...

Marriage is hard work

Marriage is hard work. It requires two people to come together and be one. Ya that sounds simple but for most it is not. We are all raised with a set of values. If any of those values are tainted with selfishness then we have some work on our hands. Selfishness is the #1 killer of marriages in my book. When we get into a commited relationship then a marriage we must die to ourselves.

This means different things to different genders. I am going to speak in generalities but try to apply them to your specific relationship. For men we are not typically inclined to be romantic except when we are settled in the marriage. We are not in the mood to meet our wives emotional needs, especially after she has not been nice to us. This is what I will call "God time". God loves us anyway. He loves us despite our faults. We are called to romance our wives and meet their emotional needs whether they are being good to us or treating us crappy. Yes it is really difficult when we have been neglected or treated crappy but Jesus calls us to go beyond our earthly nature. Our earthly nature is to withdraw and/or punish. Jesus calls us to continue to serve our wives.

For women, after years of marriage, sex is not something many particularly need as much any longer. This is probably not the case for their husbands. Life happens and kids come along and people get very very tired. This requires "God time" from the wife. They need to go beyond their earthly nature and seek to meet their husbands physical needs. Maybe their emotional needs are not being met but Jesus calls us (both wives and husbands) to serve and not to be served.

When either spouse neglects their duty to the relationship then the decay will begin and the foxes will enter the garden.

When both spouses/partners rise above their own earthly selfishness and commit to putting the other first - for the sake of the relationship - then the relationship will be as close to a heaven on earth as you will ever see.

{{originally blogged in July 2005}}