What Is Your Favorite Wing?

Suicide Wings are the absolute best!  Make sure to have an order of Teriyaki or Honey Garlic wings on the side to cut the heat if it gets to be too much.  Beer and Wings...NO!  Beer spreads the heat around if you choose suicide.  Get a Paralyzer so the milk calms the heat some.  The key is to always wipe the hot suicide sauce off your lips...do not let it soak in.  Once the heat penetrates your lips there is no cooling them down any time soon.

Great supper of edamame, wings, and drinks at the Four Mile Pub with Dinky tonight.  $0.30 wings after 8:00 pm every night and all day on Mondays and Wednesdays.

US Presidents Do Not Die From Cancer...Are They Concealing A Cure?

With all of the medical advancements that have been made, why is it that we have not seen a cure for cancer?  I was wondering if we really have not made that discovery yet OR has it been kept secret for the power players of the world.  Looking back at the deaths of every US president I found that only one had died from the disease and that was in 1885.  The 19th president Ulysses S. Grant succumbed to carcinoma of the tongue and tonsils eight years after his presidency. 

Seeing that everyone seems to have had a family member, friend, or acquaintance pass due to cancer my mind wanders to the possibility of government withholding a cure.  The population is being sustained at this time in the United States with areas of severe poverty.  Is the government allowing the massive numbers of deaths due to cancer to continue as a form of population control?  Not much aid comes from the US government to abolish poverty in their country.  Allowing one disease with high mortality rates to continue maybe keeps the budget and population down for a country known for not taking care of their own first.  War, oil, and charity in other countries appear to be a larger concern than their own backyard.

Or, maybe we are not there yet with fighting cancer.  I am lead to believe there is no cure for cancer.  However, believing and knowing are two completely different things.

What Has Come Through Your Car Window?

My lunch breaks are spent studying pharmacology, having a snack, and smoking a couple of cigarettes.  Today I picked up a Turkey Bacon Club and a Butter Caramel Iced Cappuccino from Tim Horton's.  Just finished eating then I do my typical routine and light a smoke.  Sipping on my Iced Cappuccino I start reading my favorite text book, yay pharmacology, with smoke in hand.  I hear a mmmeow and there is a kitty trying to jump through my open car window.  Face to face with the  unexpected  furry invader I screamed out loud, jumped, and just about dropped my lit cigarette in my text book.  That poor kitty.  I think my reaction scared it so bad because it was gone in a flash as if all four Anemoi had directed all of their wind up it's butt to carry it off at a mock speed unknown to cats.

Sugar For Breakfast Anyone?!

Nutella is a fabulous indulgence that I caved for this week and bought again after years of not allowing it in my home.  Oh dear!  Creamy chocolate, hazel nut spread for on my grahams wafers.  Zing...it makes my tongue moist just thinking about Nutella.  Yummy breakfast treats were a major battle at the grocery store.  It did not get any healthier arriving at the cereal aisle.

The sweet marsh mellows of this sugar laced cereal was not a regular breakfast allowed growing up in my home.  As an adult, yes, I definitely have Lucky Charms stocked with my healthy options of cereal.  There are mornings that waking up you just know that it is going to be one of those days and need that extra buzz to carry you until lunch.  Healthy breakfast skipped and bring on the Lucky Charms or Nutella with graham wafers. 

Genetically Modified Salmon

Genetically modified food is in the news again.  I am really not sure how I feel about messing with things at the DNA level.  Plant products such as corn and soybeans that have been genetically modified have been approved as safe by the FDA and are growing in popularity.  An "animal" being altered causes a little more alarm in people than a modified plant.  Initially I have apprehension because of not knowing the potential long term impact of consuming a modified species as food and how it could possibly affect the environment negatively.  Elementary findings are saying yes to the safety of a genetically modified salmon.  My question...Is it really safe?

Scientists can conduct short term studies at this early stage and do not know what long term results may occur from ingesting the revamped fish.  The AquAdvantage Atlantic Salmon contains a growth hormone gene from another species of salmon to reduce the development time. Growth hormones have been linked to some cancers and the FDA believes that there is not potential risk from the new fish.

A large possible problem that is up for debate is "what if the genetically modified farmed salmon escape and intermingle with the wild salmon".  Hopefully introduced disease, parasites and altered DNA of the new species does not have any affect on breeding, development, or habitat of the wild salmon if contact occurs.   

Aqua Bounty Technologies is developing the hybrid salmon.  The fish do not grow larger than the typical salmon.  However, the growth time for a harvested fish is cut dramatically by half. The huge demand for increasing the quantity and reducing the time to raise salmon is causing the push for remodelling the DNA.  Guidance, regulation and responsibility in manipulating DNA for Genetically Engineered Animals  was out lined in January 2009 by the FDA.

Playing this level of god, I believe, should be done with great care and caution.  People are not known for always making safe decisions when science has been used to make advancements for man.  Some of our greatest and most destructive moments in history have been from naive use of new technology.

Guess Who's Going To Vegas With Us...GINA!!!

Yeah Baby!  Guess who decided to come to Las Vegas for the girls trip in October?  Gina!  I got the most surprising message today asking me if there was still a possibility that one more could still go to Las Vegas.  Of course, no problem making room.  Just need to room with Char and I, find a flight, and will have to share a bed with me.  Yes, I will have a problem with the feet.  Not like I have never slept beside someone before and been just fine; if no intentional foot attack. I have also been promised they will remain away from me. 

All the Victoria girls got together tonight to have snacks, wine and dessert.  Just a teeny weeny bit too much to eat.  OMIGOD...we ate a lot of food! And  then, there was Banana Cream Pie.   Aside from getting to know each other a little bit better before going to Vegas together.  The evening was topped by Gina booking her flight to go with us.

Traffic Circles Anger Me

Traffic Circles have been popping up all around Victoria.  They are not a new means of directing vehicles in high traffic areas though.  We have never really had much exposure on Vancouver island to using this type of traffic flow control.  So, for many of us there was no teachings in how to correctly maneuver a Traffic Circle correctly or safely.  In the last month I have had more annoyances and near misses with other drivers than usual. 

Always Yield to the vehicle already in the circle for they have the right of way.  When entering the circle you use similar rules as a four way stop.  If two of you get to the circle at the same time then the one on the right enters first.  I had to go online to ICBC to find the proper procedure for exiting a circle after someone colourfully let me know I had angered them.  My findings...use your right turn signal in advance when leaving a circle.