SURVIVAL QUIZ

Today's blog is a bit of a survival quiz.  I want you imagine that you are in Chicago walking on the Northwestern University Campus.  You would like to walk from Point A to Point B without being accosted, yelled at, or otherwise molested. You can chose any of these three t-shirts to wear.  Which shirt would you chose to wear so that no one would give you a hard time and you would not need to worry about being called a thug (or worse)?

Shirt A: Che Guevara

Shirt B: Fidel Castro

Shirt C: Donald Trump

If you think you could wear Shirt A: Che Guevara or Shirt B: Fidel Castro on any college campus without anyone giving you a second look, you have passed this quiz. You live in reality. The reality is sickening, but it is reality. If you think that one could wear Shirt C: Donald Trump on a college campus without being bothered, you may be patriot, but you are also a person who enjoys confrontation and enjoys taking risks. The thing is, liberal universities which pride themselves on their 'inclusiveness' and their 'tolerance' and neither inclusive or tolerant when in comes to accepting things or ideas with which they disagree. In fact, these days, the wearing of a Donald Trump shirt might even be considered hate speech by the elite geniuses on campus.

MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN 

The reason that I needed to discuss this was because yesterday, during my ten mile walk in Chicago, I did wear my MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN hat. My wife bought this hat for me. It does keep me warm. And while I did wear it for all of the ten miles that I walked in Chicago yesterday, I did not rile anyone up as I probably only passed about 10 people all morning as it was 20°F outside. This is a hat that I cannot wear when I am visiting my customers, as apparently the idea of making America great again is considered too volatile to too many people. 

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Your Food Diary For:

Monday, December 12, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Omelette - 3-egg Omelette With Cheese	425	0	21	28	650	2
Butter Flavored Grits	400	84	4	8	1,360	4
	825	84	25	36	2,010	6
L U N C H
Crackers - Crackers, Water	300	60	5	5	400	0
Fresh Market - Smoked Salmon Spread	500	9	38	28	1,235	0
Dark Cocoa Melting Wafers	440	48	26	6	90	42
	1,240	117	69	39	1,725	42
D I N N E R
Homemade - Buttered Cabbage	150	6	14	2	119	4
Johnsonville - Polish Kielbasa Sausage	340	4	30	14	1,140	2
	490	10	44	16	1,259	6
S N A C K S
genoa salmi and mozzarella, single serving	221	3	17	17	884	0
Chocolate Chip Cookies	600	80	28	4	440	40
	821	83	45	21	1,324	40
Totals	3,376	294	183	112	6,318	94
Your Daily Goal	4,205	525	140	211	2,300	157
Remaining	829	231	-43	99	-4,018	63
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 2,275 extra calories from exercise today

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Your Exercise Diary for:

Monday, December 12, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
TEN MILE URBAN HIKE	150	1,716
Elliptical Trainer	99	1,017
Daily Total / Goal	249 / 30	2,733 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	249 / 210	2,733 / 4,130

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LIFE GETS INTERRUPTED

Every day I blog. I try to be interesting. I try to be amusing. I try to be funny. I try to be informative. Today, I will be mostly somber. Late yesterday afternoon my daughter was winding down from another busy day and her one week visit to Paris, France. We received a text from her requesting permission for her to skip brushing her teeth as she was preparing to go to sleep. (I guess she was tired.)  While receiving this text, my wife and I were at the hotel where our out-of-town guests will be gathering to celebrate our daughter's Bat-Mitzvah in three weeks. And while that was going on, my phone started lighting up and buzzing.  It did not take long to learn that Civilization was attacked.  This time, in Paris, France (again.)   While I was learning how to operate the audio visual projector to show photos to our guests in three weeks, I was concurrently learning that there were multiple deaths in Paris, France at the hands of terrorists.  The true scope of these murders were not known to us for an hour or so more.  What to do?  We already knew that our daughter was snug as a bug, safe and sound in the home of her Parisian hosts.  Shortly thereafter, we received emails from the chaperones in Paris, as well as Sara's Principal back here in Chicago - that every child and all four teacher/chaperones were safe.  I received phone messages, and/or texts from family and friends over the next hour or so.  After assuring all that Sara was indeed safe, and possibly oblivious to what had transpired (at least until she awakens in Paris on Saturday morning) all we could do was watch the news and hope that Sara's plane departs Paris as scheduled on Saturday. We monitored her aircraft that departed Chicago four hours late which made necessary that Sara's flight would be delayed by some hours as well.  That is where we are now.... Waiting and hoping that Sara's flight departs as scheduled on Saturday, even if it delayed by a few hours.  

Now, I want to make one 'political statement.'   Every time I visit a building with the 'warning' sticker on the front door that this location is a gun-free zone - I know that the person that cheerfully applied that sticker is among the biggest morons in the universe.   I have noticed that criminals, murderers and terrorists tend to not attack police stations where people are known to be armed.  They do, however, seem to enjoy attacking places where they know people are not armed.  Way to go liberals, thanks for broadcasting the absolute safest places in the world for criminals, murderers and terrorists to 'apply their trade.'  

I guess I am not being my amusing, chipper self today... I apologize to readers of my blog who visit only to be amused and/or learn how a guy who used to be 309 lbs turned into a guy who is not about 220 lbs. Life Gets Interrupted sometimes.  And today, was one of those days.

Why are there so many morons that think that this sign is a sign of intelligent life?

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PLEASE STOP VOTING FOR THE MORONS THAT THINK THAT GUN FREE ZONES ARE INTELLIGENT.  PLEASE STOP SENDING YOUR CHILDREN TO UNIVERSITIES WHERE OUR CHILDREN ARE BRAINWASHED TO THINK THAT GUNS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MURDER.  MURDERERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MURDER. PLEASE STOP VOTING FOR POLITICIANS WHO CANNOT NAME OR IDENTIFY OUR ENEMY.  PLEASE STOP SUPPORTING DEMOCRATS WHO ESPOUSE LEFTIST IDEAS.  PLEASE STOP LIVING A LIFE OF BLISSFUL IGNORANCE.  PLEASE EXCUSE MY ANGER THIS MORNING. 

...and now, I return you to my regular blog...

Another reminder that winter is on the way.  When I got underway this morning in Chicago, the temperature was 39° F and the windchill made it feel more like 28°F.  I dressed in four different layers and I did what I have been doing... I took off for a 10 mile walk to start my day.  As many of you know, one of the milestones of fitbit use is to (at least) surpass 10,000 steps per day.  A ten mile walk insures that the fitbit will be satisfied for the day. 

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Your Food Diary For:

Friday, November 13, 2015

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
tasteeos - Cereal, 3 cup	300	63	5	9	480	3
Kashi - Dark Chocolate Coconut Bar, 3 bar	360	63	11	12	150	21
	660	126	15	21	630	24
L U N C H
Ak Mak - Sesame Cracker, 20 Crackers	440	80	8	20	892	0
WHOLE FOODS 8738 - DRIED MANGO SLICES, 52.0 g (approx 6 pieces)	143	36	0	3	1	26
	583	116	8	23	893	26
D I N N E R
Generic - Grilled Brussel Sprouts, 1 cup	65	13	3	6	23	0
Teriyaki - Salmon, 120 g	270	3	8	47	0	0
Ronzoni - Gemelli., 56 g (2/3 cup)	200	42	1	7	0	2
Little Sald Bar Spinach (Aldi) - Spinach, 0.99 cups	7	1	0	1	21	0
Crab Salad - Imitation Crab, Deli, 1 cup	225	18	2	26	680	2
	767	77	14	86	724	4
S N A C K S
WHOLE FOODS - YOGURT PRETZELS, 34.0 g (approx 8 pcs)	162	24	0	2	153	16
Whole Foods - Dancing Star - Chunks of Energy - Carob Spirulina, 3 chunks (28g)	195	23	11	6	15	12
WHOLE FOODS - CHEDDAR SESAME STICKS, 36.4 g (1/3 cup)	195	17	13	4	624	1
WHOLE FOODS 7089 - 42% CACAO SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS, 48.0 g (approx 2 TBSP)	224	32	13	3	0	26
General Mills With Whole Grain - Kix Cereal (Net Carbs), 2.5 cup	220	50	2	4	360	6
	996	145	38	19	1,152	61
Totals	3,006	464	75	148	3,400	115
Your Daily Goal	3,985	498	133	200	2,300	149
Remaining	979	33	58	51	-1,099	33
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
	*You've earned 2,055 extra calories from exercise today

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       Your Exercise Diary for:

Friday, November 13, 2015

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
Walking, 4.5 mph, very, very brisk pace	128	2,043
MFP iOS calorie adjustment	N/A	12
Daily Total / Goal	129 / 30	2,055 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	691 / 210	9,130 / 4,130

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TOTAL CALORIES CONSUMED 3006 CALORIES
TOTAL CALORIES BURNED (10 MILE WALK) 2043 CALORIES
TOTAL NET CALORIES 963 CALORIES
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220.4 lbs

I weigh 220.4 lbs.

I gained 1.8 lb this week (It's gotta be muscle mass!)

I have lost 88.6 lbs in 325 days. Today begins Day 326.

I will always be at the beginning of a journey that never ends.

I weigh 220.4 lbs (325 days ago I weighed 309 lbs)

I have lost 28.7% of my weight since Dec 24.

I have a BMI, body mass index of 29.48

I had a 42.0 BMI on Dec 24 just 325 days ago (Class III obesity)

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fitbit day 72

30009 steps

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a little before 9:00AM Chicago time, my daughters flight took off from Paris...Now due to arrive Chicago a little after 6:00PM.  

JUST CAN'T WEIGHT FOR THIS POLICY TO HIT US AIRLINES...

This morning, an article that I saw on the drudgreport.com got my attention which was linked from the Daily Telegraph UK website.  I have duplicated the article below.  Is there any doubt that this system will eventually come to United States Air Carriers?  The airlines currently charge for a multitude of 'services' that one would have never been able to imagine being offered a la carte a decade ago.  There is no doubt in my mind that this is coming to an airline near you...

Uzbekistan Airways to weigh passengers before boarding

Uzbekistan Airways plane in Frankfurt, Germany Photo: Alamy

By Soo Kim

7:06PM BST 12 Aug 2015 Uzbekistan's national carrier plans to weigh passengers with their hand luggage before boarding as part of a new ‘flight safety’ measure

Uzbekistan Airways passengers will be directed to a “special weighing machine” at the departure gate, to determine each person's average weight with their hand baggage.

The airline said that individual passengers' weights would not be disclosed, and “full confidentiality of results is guaranteed”, with the weighing machine only categorising passengers by sex and into adult and child groups.

“According to the rules of International Air Transport Association, airlines are obliged to carry out the regular procedures of preflight control passengers weighing with hand baggage to observe requirements for ensuring flight safety", the company said in a statement.

The Tashkent-based airline, whose motto is "safety, stability, comfort", has not made it clear whether larger passengers will be charged a fee, or excluded from flights on smaller planes.

It is also not known what measures would be taken should the total weight of the passengers and their hand luggage appear to exceed an aircraft’s weight limit and guidelines.

More than 44 per cent of those 20 years and older in Uzbekistan were found to be overweight, while nearly 15 per cent were obese, according to estimates from 2008 reported by the World Health Organization. The report predicts that in 2020, 13 per cent of men and 20 per cent of women in the same age group will be obese.

Uzbekistan Airways operates numerous routes throughout eastern Europe and Russia, and between London and Tashkent. It is sometimes used for internal or regional flights by tour operators offering "Silk Road" and central Asia tours.

Uzbekistan has some fascinating old cities, but would you be happy to be weighed before a flight to get there? (AP)

Telegraph Travel received an overwhelming response to a recent story on a man who attempted to sue Etihad Airways after he claimed he was left with back pain from sitting next to an obese passenger. Claire Mackichans wrote that her husband endured a nine-hour flight from Los Angeles next to a large gentleman, whom she said was so overweight, "he needed to shuffled sideways along the aisle and bring his own seatbelt extension onto the flight with him. He intruded at least 20cm into my husband's seat and was so large he couldn't fold down his tray table. Virgin Atlantic flight staff were unhelpful when my husband complained on two occasions during the flight. He had paid for a seat but was having to share half of it with another passenger. No other seat was available apparently."

Uzbekistan Airways is not the first airline to keep an eye on passengers' weights. In 2013, Samoa Air became the world’s first airline to charge passengers by their weight rather than per seat, in a bid to raise obesity awareness and improve public health. The Pacific island nations served by the carrier have some of the world's highest rates of obesity.

The Pacific national airline allows passengers to nominate their weight and then measures them on scales at the airport. Passengers do not pay for a seat but pay a fixed price per kilogram, which varies according to the length of the route. At the time, the head of Samoa Air, Chris Langton, said the system was fairer and that some families with small children were now paying substantially cheaper fares.

In the same year, the airline also introduced a special "XL class" to cater for larger passengers, creating a a wider row on its aircraft for passengers weighing more than 286 pounds (130 kilograms).

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 Wednesday MENU

breakfast   oatmeal, poached eggs, center cut bacon, corn thins             780 calories

lunch         fuji apples, granola, wasabi peas, mango, cacao goji           1228 calories

dinner       Sante Fe Chicken Chili, Mariano's spinach salad                   750 calories

SNACK    ginger chews, Kariba Farms organic dried pears                    245 calories

total calories consumed 3123 calories

calories burned

PRECOR EFX elliptical machine, set to fat burn, level 20 resistance, level 20 inline , 125 min    1757 calories

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Wednesday net calories 1366 calories

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I particularly enjoy using the PRECOR EFX elliptical machine at my Chicago YMCA as I look forward to completing my workout and taking a snapshot of my 'stats' when the workout is complete.