Showing posts with label chinese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chinese. Show all posts

Saturday, April 11, 2020

I'LL HAVE THE CHICKEN TESTICLE SOUP - HOLD THE DEADLY VIRUS by Ann Coulter




.

I'LL HAVE THE CHICKEN TESTICLE SOUP - HOLD THE DEADLY VIRUS


It’s probably a coincidence, but I notice that as businesses go under, jobs are lost, careers are ended and trillions of dollars are drained from the economy, the people most avidly pushing the coronavirus panic are doing quite well. 

No politician or government official has taken a salary cut. To the contrary, dusty bureaucrats now find the entire country transfixed by their every utterance. Cable news hosts still make millions of dollars -- and now they get to work from home! 

Annoyingly, though, journalists can’t seem to relay the basic elements of a news story: who, what, where and why. 

First, who’s dying? It appears to be mostly the old, people with specific medical conditions and vapers. 

To be sure, that’s not as important as daily updates on Chris Cuomo’s personal battle with the coronavirus, but it might be kind of important to the 17 million Americans who’ve been thrown out of work, many of whom are not elderly, immunocompromised or vapers. 

Second, the “what.” What exactly constitutes a “coronavirus death”? 

It turns out a person with Stage 4 lung cancer and a bullet through the heart will be counted as a “coronavirus death” if he also tested positive for the disease, OR merely exhibited symptoms associated with it (symptoms that are coextensive with the flu and pneumonia). 

We’re told that, if anything, coronavirus deaths are being undercounted because the numbers don’t include those who die of it at home. 

If so, then the death count also excludes those who die at home of other things, like heart attacks and poisonings. Many of these people might have survived -- except they were too scared to go to a hospital or couldn't find an EMT to take them there, per current edicts. 

The “where” is: Where did the virus originate, and where did it first land in this country? 

Despite the media’s best efforts -- DON’T CALL IT THE “CHINESE VIRUS”! -- people know that the virus began at a wet market in China.

But where did it start in this country? Washington state was the site of our very first case. Washington state is also 9.3% Asian. Even now, it has eight times more coronavirus cases per capita than neighboring Oregon (4.8% Asian). 

Could it be that Chinese-Americans have more contact with the epicenter of this plague than other Americans? As the left always lectures us, BELIEVE THE SCIENCE! 

The virus next leapt to New York (9% Asian) and New Jersey (10% Asian). The worst-hit borough of Manhattan is Queens. Guess which borough has the most Asians? Elmhurst Hospital in Queens is the worst-hit hospital in the nation. Elmhurst neighborhood: 50% Asian. 

Notice a pattern? While it’s true that “viruses don’t have nationalities!” -- and thank you very much for pointing that out, media! -- the carriers of viruses do have nationalities. 

Arguably, Trump had a reason to shut down travel from China other than “hysteria, xenophobia and fear-mongering", as Joe Biden claimed in a tweet on Feb. 1. 

Of course, once it’s here, it’s here and can spread all over. Still, compare New York and New Jersey to, say, Montana and West Virginia. 

Chinese virus deaths, so far, by population: 

-- New York (9% Asian): 29 per 100,000 

-- New Jersey (10% Asian): 13 per 100,000 

-- Montana (0.9% Asian): 0.6 per 100,000 

-- West Virginia (0.8% Asian): 0.2 per 100,000 

Then there’s California, which alone among the four states with the highest Asian populations has relatively few coronavirus cases, probably due to its warm climate and little public transportation, among other things. In those respects, California is a lot like Texas -- which has about a third as many Asians and also about half as many coronavirus deaths (1.1 per 100,000 in California, compared to 0.71 per 100,000 in Texas). 

MEDIA: Oh, why does it matter? 

OK, OK, you’re right. But isn’t the prevalence of the coronavirus in states with high Asian populations at least as interesting as this recent article in The New York Times magazine? 

Story summary: 

Man with severe asthma gets coronavirus, has low-grade fever for approximately 10 days with muscle pain, nausea and fatigue, develops walking pneumonia per X-ray (no clinical evidence) ...

Recovers.

The End.
 

Finally, why? Why do we have to deal with this virus at all? 

The media would prefer if you would stop asking this question, but Americans who didn’t have to die are dead because of Wall Street’s decision to merge our economy with the Chinese, who have unusual eating habits. 

The Chinese eat wolf pups. But eating dog wasn’t weird enough. It didn’t give them a frisson of freakishness. They also eat bats, snakes and chicken testicles. 

Husband: Oh, honey, golden retriever again? 

[Kids groan] 

Mom: Not tonight! For a special treat, we're having chicken testicles! 

Kids: Aw, you're the best mom ever! 

Tigers and rhinos are the most endangered species on Earth because Chinese people think rhinoceros horns and tiger penises can cure impotence. The Caspian, Bali and Javan tigers are already extinct because of this charming folk remedy. 

Recently added to the endangered species list is the cute, cartoonish pangolin, the most trafficked animal is the world. Unfortunately, the pangolin’s scales are believed to cure any number of ailments, according to traditional Chinese medicine. 

Where’s PETA? 

The media are too busy covering for China. At least the Chinese aren’t white. 

Although, it occurs to me that, despite America’s terrible toxic whiteness, one way our culture is superior to others is that we don’t believe lunatic nonsense that wipes out entire species or launches viral pandemics on the world. 

Now back to Chris Cuomo’s riveting battle with the coronavirus. 

COPYRIGHT 2020 ANN COULTER

.


.




.



.



.

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

CHEAP TVS, EXPENSIVE FLU by ANN COULTER





CHEAP TVS, EXPENSIVE FLU


Here's a thought: While self-quarantining with their families in multimillion-dollar Manhattan co-ops, Wall Street wives ought to have a chat with their Master of the Universe husbands about China, globalism and political correctness. Those are the vectors of their robber-baron wealth.

Thanks to “globalism” -- i.e., cheap goods from China -- we’ve gotten many wondrous things, for example:

-- Toothpaste on American shelves made with a poison found in antifreeze.

-- Toxic Chinese drywall installed in about 100,000 U.S. homes, emitting noxious fumes that destroyed electrical wiring and metal fixtures and sickened homeowners. Replacement of the drywall, pipes and wiring cost Americans billions of dollars.

-- Hundreds, possibly thousands, of American dogs killed by melamine-laced Chinese dog food in 2007.

-- The loss of about 200,000 beautiful maple trees lining the streets of small New England towns, eaten by Asian long-horned beetles that arrived on Chinese cargo ships in 1996. The U.S. taxpayer spends hundreds of millions of dollars to eradicate the repeated outbreaks that continue to this day, despite promises from the Chinese to do better.

-- Viral pandemics -- H1N1 (from China), bird flu (from China), SARS (from China) and now the Wuhan virus (from China).

Is it really worth paying $3 for a T-shirt at Walmart, rather than $9? The precise reason Chinese goods are so cheap is that they skip the crucial quality-control step.
.

The media’s reaction to this latest pandemic out of China is to say ... 

LET’S GET ONE THING STRAIGHT: THE CHINESE HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS! 

Well, like most animal-to-human viruses, this one did originate in China and then spread across the globe when Chinese tourists infected people in other countries. 

As described by Melinda Liu in Smithsonian Magazine, the Chinese wet markets, “often poorly ventilated, with multiple species jammed together -- create ideal conditions for spreading disease through shared water utensils or airborne droplets of blood and other secretions.” 

This 2017 article was titled: “Is China Ground Zero for a Future Pandemic?” 

When the pandemic arrived, at least the World Health Organization leapt to action. First step: Find a cure? Develop a vaccine? Demand protections for the elderly? 

NO! 

WHO officials got together and worked on coming up with a new name for the “Wuhan virus” that sounded less Asian. 

Next, the WHO put out a “Fact Sheet” to ensure that those with Kung Flu would not be stigmatized. It instructed: 

"DO -- talk about people 'acquiring' or 'contracting' #COVID-19. 

“DON'T -- talk about people 'transmitting COVID-19,' 'infecting others' or “spreading the virus' as it implies intentional transmission & assigns blame.” 

As fear of the Chinese virus spread, Gloria Allred brought a lawsuit against a Los Angeles school for sending an Asian student to the school nurse after he coughed in class. 

Americans are cowering in their homes. Airlines, restaurants, beaches, ski resorts, professional sports, colleges and stores have been shut down. But we must never violate the fundamental civil right of an Asian to cough in class and refuse to see the nurse! 

The New York Times has also been on the racism beat, with these pressing stories: 


As Chinese Grapple With a New Illness, an Old Stigma Is Revived

An Outbreak of Racist Sentiment as Coronavirus Reaches Australia

As Coronavirus Spreads, So Does Anti-Chinese Sentiment
 

And there’s more! 

Virus Fuels Anti-Chinese Sentiment Overseas

Coronavirus Outbreak Risks Reviving Stigma for China
 

Wait – here’s another: 

For a Chinese Traveler, Even Paradise Comes With Prejudice 

A few weeks ago -- before a trillion dollars in wealth was destroyed by the coronavirus panic and we learned the real disease was racism -- everyone, including the Times, admitted that the virus was brought to Italy by two Chinese tourists. 

“[T]here had not yet been any confirmed cases in Italy," the Times reported, until Jan. 30, “when the government announced the first two cases.” The scientific director of an infectious diseases hospital in Rome identified them: “two Chinese tourists visiting Rome.” 

The Times buried this fact in an article perversely titled: “Cruise Passengers Are Held at Italian Port in False Alarm Over Coronavirus.” On one hand, a bunch of cruise passengers were inconvenienced for 12 hours; on the other hand, a viral pandemic that could kill millions was introduced to Italy. You write the headline. 

Lombardy is the Italian region most devastated by the Wuhan virus. As far back as 2003, a Library of Congress report cited Lombardy as having the highest concentration of Chinese immigrants in Italy. Our media refuses to tell us this fact today -- or any day. 

No hard feelings, but why not relieve people’s minds? West Virginians who have no contact with anyone visiting from China can rest easy! No need to stockpile toilet paper. 

While we’re at it, when will the media and the “medical community” get around to informing Americans that this latest Chinese pandemic poses little danger to anyone under 70 without certain chronic medical conditions? 

Italy has been ravaged by the Wuhan virus, but the average age of the dead is 81. 

According to the dire estimates of the Imperial College of London -- whose assessment we are following -- excepting those with underlying medical conditions, the new coronavirus is far less deadly than the seasonal flu to anyone under 60 years old. It’s no worse than the 2017-18 flu season for those in their 60s. 

But it's five to 10 times more deadly than the regular flu for those in their 70s and 80s, respectively. 

We ought to surround old folks homes with the National Guard and call it a day. It would probably save more lives and wouldn’t destroy the economy. 

But there’s no time to think about saving lives. The important thing is to stamp out the idea that a virus that originated in China has anything to do with China.  

COPYRIGHT 2020 ANN COULTER 

.




Wednesday, March 18, 2020

WHY THE REMEDY MAY BE WORSE THAN THE DISEASE - DENNIS PRAGER

As a general rule, I agree with Dennis Prager on 99% of everything he says.  When I disagree, I naturally assume that I am wrong. 
(Yeah, I kinda love this guy - he keeps me sane.)



Why the Remedy May Be Worse Than the Disease


As of this writing, 6,400 people all over the world have died from the coronavirus. In the United States, 68 people have died.
Some perspective:
Chinese deaths (3,217) account for half of the worldwide total. If you add Italy (1,441) and Iran (724), two countries where many Chinese were allowed in until recently, that totals another 2,165. In other words, outside of China, Italy and Iran — with 5,382 deaths collectively — 1,018 people have died. There are 7.8 billion people in the world.
Regarding Italy, the Jerusalem Post of March 16 reported that according to Nobel Prize-winning chemist Michael Levitt, “Italy’s higher death rate was likely due to the fact that elderly people make up a greater percentage of the population than they do in other countries such as China or France.” As former CBS correspondent Sharyl Attkisson further explained: “Italy has the oldest population in Europe and more elderly per capita than the U.S. Most of the Italian deaths are in patients in their 80s and 90s. In addition, Italy has a great number of direct China contacts. Italy was the first to join China’s ‘silk road’ economic partnership project … (Italy’s) deaths are out of a population of 60 million people.”
Regarding Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported on March 11:
“Iranian officials trace the origins of the country’s coronavirus epidemic to the holy city of Qom, home to … a number of Chinese-backed infrastructure projects built by scores of workers and technicians from China … ‘(China has) turned into a very toxic bomb,’ said Sanam Vakil, deputy Middle East director at Chatham House, a think tank in London.”
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump announced a ban on flights from China on Jan. 31 — for which he was denounced by leading Democrats and throughout the left. The very next day, presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden declared, “This is no time for Donald Trump’s record of hysteria and xenophobia — hysterical xenophobia — and fearmongering.” On Feb. 2, the American Civil Liberties Union announced, “These measures are extraordinary incursions on liberty and fly in the face of considerable evidence that travel bans and quarantines can do more harm than good.”
The current consensus favors near-total social isolation, or “social distancing,” as it is now called. The thinking is that we must shut down the Western world to prevent the exponential growth of the virus. If we don’t, our hospital systems will be overwhelmed. Many thousands, maybe more, would die, as doctors have to make grisly triage decisions as to who gets care and who doesn’t. This latter scenario is reported to have already happened in Italy.
Though there is no longer an exponential growth in the United States, they may otherwise be right.
Is this thinking correct? The truth is we don’t know.
We have no idea how many people carry the COVID-19 coronavirus. Therefore, the rates of either critical illness or death are completely unknown. Perhaps millions of people have the virus and nothing serious develops, in which case we would have rates of death similar to (or even below) the flu virus. On the other hand, perhaps not many people carry the virus, but the rates of illness demanding intensive care and of death are much greater than those of the flu.
We can only be certain that shutting down virtually every part of society will result in a large number of people economically ruined, life savings depleted, decades of work building a restaurant or some other small business destroyed. As if that were not bad enough, the ancillary effects would include increased depression and divorce and other personal tragedies. The effects of closing schools for weeks or months will include family chaos, vast numbers of bored young people, health care providers who will have to stay home and more. Yet young people are the least likely people to become ill from the virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released this statement regarding closing schools:
“Available modeling data indicate … that other mitigation efforts (e.g., handwashing, home isolation) have more impact on both spread of disease and health care measures. In other countries, those places who (sic) closed school (e.g., Hong Kong) have not had more success in reducing spread than those that did not (e.g., Singapore).”
But the longer-term ripple effects are potentially far worse. Economic disasters rarely remain only economic disasters. To give a particularly dramatic example, the Nazis came to power because of economics more than any other single reason, including Germany’s defeat in World War I, the Versailles Treaty or anti-Semitism. Nazi success at the polls was almost entirely related to the Weimar economy. Communist parties don’t fare well in robust economies, but they’re very tempting when people are in dire economic straits. Only God knows what economic dislocation the shutting down of American and other Western economies will lead to. I am not predicting a Nazi or communist ascendancy, but economic and political disaster may be as likely, or even more likely, than a health disaster.
But here is a prediction: If the government can order society to cease functioning, from restaurants and other businesses to schools, due to a possible health disaster, it is highly likely that a Democratic president and Congress will similarly declare emergency and assert authoritarian rule in order to prevent what they consider the even greater “existential threat” to human life posed by global warming.
The dam has been broken. Maybe it was necessary. But when dams break, flooding follows.

.
This was announced on Tuesday March 17 (hardly shocking news)


Monday, December 26, 2016

JEWS, CHRISTMAS & CHINESE FOOD

.




It sometimes surprises me that people who know that I am Jewish ask if I celebrate Christmas. It is true that Christmas is an American national holiday. Christmas is also a religious holiday and it is simply not a holiday for Jews to celebrate. Obviously, I am not dumb enough to attempt to speak for all Jews, but Jews can enjoy Christmas without celebrating it. We can enjoy the music (Quite a few classic Christmas songs were written by Jews)  We can enjoy the beautiful store decorations, we can enjoy the beautiful private homes lit up at night and we can enjoy cookies and other seasonal treats. It is just that Santa does not visit our homes, we tend not to lay our wrapped presents under our Christmas Tree which we also tend not to have. However, Jews do have some Christmas traditions. It is not uncommon for Jewish families to get together on this day simply because so many people have the day off from work. Growing up in Long Island, my family often zipped into Brooklyn to visit Grandma and Grandpa on Christmas Day simply because it was a convenient day for family to visit. Another tradition, is born out of reality. There are not too many restaurants open on Christmas Day. Like Jews, most Chinese people do not celebrate Christmas either. It is for this reason, that the tradition of going to Chinese restaurant for Jews on Christmas Day has evolved. Yesterday my family walked five miles downtown to Chinatown in Chicago and five miles back home. For the second year in a row ate dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant, Emperor's Choice.


 This short paragraph from 'The Atlantic' was interesting.


If there’s a single identifiable moment when Jewish Christmas—the annual American tradition where Jews overindulge on Chinese food on December 25—transitioned from kitsch into codified custom, it was during Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan’s 2010 confirmation hearing. During an otherwise tense series of exchanges, Senator Lindsey Graham paused to ask Kagan where she had spent the previous Christmas. To great laughter, she replied:  “You know, like all Jews, I was probably at a Chinese restaurant.”

I am no fan of Elena Kagan, but I must admit that I found her response endearing.  


Your Food Diary For:


BREAKFAST Calories
kcal
Carbs
g
Fat
g
Protein
g
Sodium
mg
Sugar
g
Quaker - Instant Oatmeal- Maple 800 160 10 20 1,300 60

800 160 10 20 1,300 60
L U N C H
Post Great Grains Raisins Dates Pecans 700 137 13 13 450 43

700 137 13 13 450 43
D I N N E R
Wonton soup - Soup 200 16 8 16 850 1
Potstickers, 2 100 15 3 5 231 2
Generic - Crab Ragoon 100 6 7 3 189 0
Sweet & Sour Pork 300 41 2 27 225 21
Seafood Delight, squid & shrimp 200 5 10 8 423 0
Fried Rice 600 87 21 17 0 0

1,500 170 51 76 1,918 24


           
   
Totals 3,000 467 74 109 3,668 127
Your Daily Goal 4,033 504 134 202 2,300 151
Remaining 1,033 37 60 93 -1,368 24
Calories
kcal
Carbs
g
Fat
g
Protein
g
Sodium
mg
Sugar
g
*You've earned 2,103 extra calories from exercise today         

       Your Exercise Diary for:


Cardiovascular Minutes Calories Burned
99 1,017
Walk to and from Chinatown
150 1,200

   
Daily Total / Goal 249 / 30 2,217 / 590  
Weekly Total / Goal 1177 / 210 12,101 / 4,130             








Saturday, December 26, 2015

CHINATOWN

CHINATOWN.  It had appeared that my daughter had nixed the idea of seeking a Chinese Restaurant to visit on  Christmas Day.  However, I was successful in 'selling' the idea to my family that not only should we go to a Chinese Restaurant, and not only should we go to Chicago's Chinatown to find a restaurant, but we should also walk there and back.  And that is precisely what we did.  What could be more Jewish than a family having dinner in Chinatown on Christmas Day?  (I will skip asking my Chabad Rabbi friend this question as yesterday was the Shabbat - and it is highly likely that he might think it would have even been more Jewish to go to Friday Night Services!)
There i am standing in the middle of the street under the iconic 'Welcome to Chinatown' sign

.




From our home to Chinatown, we walked 5 miles and the trip took only 80 minutes.  The trip home was accomplished at a slower rate.  That route was 6.25 miles and the trip took 124 minutes.  No matter how you slice it, walking is a healthy pursuit at any speed.  I was very happy that not only did I encourage my wife and daughter to eschew the subway for the return trip, but that it did not take a great deal of effort on my part for everyone to the conclusion that walking would be a healthier, more rewarding, preferable mode of travel.  The interesting thing about walking to Chinatown is that before we started our urban hike, I did have to check a map to find out precisely how to get there... It turns out that it is practically a straight line south from our home.  The more that I walk around and through the city of Chicago, the smaller an more intimate the city appears.  
.
THE CHINESE RESTAURANT
LITTLE LAMB

LITTLE LAMB.  MONGOLIAN CUISINE, HOT POT, BARBEQUE, NOODLES

THIS WAS THE HOT POT THAT WAS ON A BURNER IN THE CENTER OF OUR TABLE.  IT WAS IN  THAT COOKED OUR FOOD

.

Your Food Diary For:

Friday, December 25, 2015

BREAKFAST Calories Carbs Fat Protein Sodium Sugar
Malt O Meal - Honey Nut Scooters, 120 g 480 96 6 12 840 36

480 96 6 12 840 36
L U N C H
Campbells Home Style Soup - Italian Wedding Soup, 2 cup 200 26 5 12 820 8
libby's - Sweet Corn, 1.75 cup 210 32 5 7 700 25
fresh express - Baby spiniach, 3 cups 20 3 0 2 65 0
Kroger - Stuffed Scallop, 1 shell 200 17 11 9 550 2

630 78 21 30 2,135 35
D I N N E R
CHINATOWN CHINESE HOT POT DINNER
Shrimp - Raw, 5 medium 32 0 1 6 44 0
Crab Salad - Imitation Crab, Deli, 0.25 cup 56 5 1 7 170 1
White Rice - White Rice, 1 cup 205 44 0 1 0 0
Generic - Chinese Almond Cookie, 1 cookie 100 11 6 1 20 0
Wegmans - Deli Roast Beef, 6 oz (aprox.4 slices) 180 0 6 30 690 0
Mollusks, mussel, blue, raw, 0.5 cup 65 3 2 9 215 0
Kind Fruit & Nut Bar - Nut Delight, 1 Bar 200 17 13 6 10 9

838 80 28 60 1,149 10
S N A C K S
365 Everyday Value - Organic Dried Mango, 40 g 110 26 0 1 0 21
Lindt Lindor - Milk Chocolate Truffle (Updated 12/13/2015), 6 balls 450 33 36 3 75 30
Ghiradelli - Intense Dark Cherry Tango, 10 piece 600 73 40 7 0 56

1,160 132 76 11 75 107
Totals 3,108 385 131 113 4,199 187
Your Daily Goal 5,779 722 192 289 2,300 216
Remaining 2,671 336 61 176 -1,898 29
Calories Carbs Fat Protein Sodium Sugar
*You've earned 3,849 extra calories from exercise today         
.

Your Exercise Diary for:

Friday, December 25, 2015
Cardiovascular Minutes Calories Burned
STAR TRAC ELLIPTICAL 92 1,696
TREADMILL WALKING 4.7mph 13 125
Walking, 3.5 mph, brisk pace 81 796
Walking, 3.0 mph, mod. pace, walking dog 124 940
MFP iOS calorie adjustment Ic_i N/A 292

   
Daily Total / Goal 311 / 30 3,849 / 590  
Weekly Total / Goal 1213 / 210 17,143 / 4,130
.

total calories consumed 3108 calories
total calories (92 minutes elliptical, walking) 3557 calories
total net calories 449 calorie deficit
.....................

fitbit day 114
36001 steps

.
Long before the decision was made to walk back and forth to and from Chinatown, I had already logged my traditional daily workout.  In the morning, I spent 92 minutes on the elliptical machine and before I left the fitness room, I hopped onto the treadmill for a quick one mile session at 4.7 mph.  This was only a 13 minute addition to my workout.



. . . . . . . . . .

This is from the 'About Us' page on the website for Little Lamb Restaurant


Our Mongolian Herbal Broth comes from an ancient legend…
In the time of the Nomads, there lived a Monk who traveled with Mongolian armies in the Chile Valley, northern part of China. He was highly respected because of his extensive knowledge of medicine and astrology, as well as his leadership and ability to care for injured soldiers.
Proficient in Tibetan and Mongolian medicine, he made a broth from lamb with special herbs for the soldiers. Not only did it taste delicious, it greatly strengthened the soldier’s bodies and helped them conquered the world. Later on, the recipe became popular among Nomads in the area. Since that time, his hotpot broth has been a favorite of the Mongolian people and has been respected as a “sacred” soup for thousands of years.
Our recipe for Hotpot Broth inherited from the Sacred Broth. It embodies traditional Chinese cooking methods based on nutrition, using Chinese herbs such as astragalus, liquorice, desert cistanche, sand- shallot seeds, and others to enhance the flavor and rejuvenate the body.
As you savor our broth, we hope you taste the rich flavors of China’s ancient heritage and are filled with the strength of the nomadic warriors. Enjoy!
.
JEWS AND CHINESE FOOD ON CHRISTMAS DAY
from theatlantic.com

If there’s a single identifiable moment when Jewish Christmas—the annual American tradition where Jews overindulge on Chinese food on December 25—transitioned from kitsch into codified custom, it was during Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan’s 2010 confirmation hearing.During an otherwise tense series of exchanges, Senator Lindsey Graham paused to ask Kagan where she had spent the previous Christmas. To great laughter, she replied:  “You know, like all Jews, I was probably at a Chinese restaurant.”Never willing to let a moment pass without remark, Senator Chuck Schumer jumped in to explain, “If I might, no other restaurants are open.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 


216.5 lbs

I weigh 216.5 lbs.
I allegedly lost 1.5 lb this week?


C'mon....my doctor weighed me on his $2000+ scale this week and with clothes on and I only weighed 213 lbs... So what gives?  I do not know.  Water weight?  Perhaps I ate too much too late last evening?  It matters not.... It is crystal clear that everything that I own that is supposed to fit still fits... I can not be driven crazy by my wildly fluctuating weigh-ins at home.  Nevertheless, I will continue to weigh myself weekly (at least) and on January 1, 2016 I am going to weigh myself and use that as my baseline for my weight loss goals going forward... I am going to partially 'retire' the fact that the journey started at 309 lbs on December 24, 2014.  Since that person no longer exists, and that person will never again exist, it is seemingly becoming more and more pointless to have my current weight compared to the weight of that person...  

I have lost 92.5 lbs in 367 days. Today begins Day 368.
I will always be at the beginning of a journey that never ends.
I weigh 216.5 lbs (367 days ago I weighed 309 lbs)
I have lost 29.9% of my weight since Dec 24.
I have a BMI, body mass index of 28.96
I had a 42.0 BMI on Dec 24 just 353 days ago (Class III obesity)