Do They Have to be Vegetarian?

I didn't post a blog entry yesterday. 

Wanda's dentist boss and his wife are still on their Alaskan cruise so she was home. I know it sounds like I'm using her presence as an excuse to slack off but that's not the case. She keeps me busy so I don't have time to write.

Once again I pretended I was the family dog as I sat in the passenger seat glancing out the window watching the city roll by. We went to Costco, Home Depot and Starbucks. 

Then I came home to put the finishing touches on my fence project.

See the first thing California people do when moving into a new home is build a 6-foot high (usually redwood) fence on their property line. 

This keeps dogs in, kids out and the neighbors hidden from view. From a privacy perspective it's a good thing but sooner or later it'll fall down. 

Several months ago the wind snapped one of the upright posts and I had 40' of leaning fence to deal with. It's fixed for now.

I used the always popular spit and bailing wire method. Hopefully it will stand as erect as a Viagra overdose for at least six months. 

Like so many have said in the movies: "I'm getting too old for this shit."

Interesting Facts About Urine

Sometimes, urine can smell.  Sometimes it smells like a specific food.  Asparagus, for one, causes a characteristic odor due to asparagines, an amino acid.  Foul-smelling urine can be indicative of bacteria and potentially a urinary tract infection. Sweet-smelling urine could indicate diabetes.

It's best if your urine remains neutral, like the Swiss.

According to a report in the Western Journal of Medicine, urinating on a jellyfish sting is not an appropriate or effective remedy. Instead, dilute vinegar and apply it to the sting, then ice the injury. The exact origins of the "pee on a jellyfish sting" treatment are unknown however some have opined the expression full of "piss and vinegar" may have been a factor.

Always remember to pack vinegar in the ice-chest if you don't need it for jellyfish stings it also relives sunburn.

Urine therapy is sometimes cited as a "cure-all" that can boost the immune system. At five Urine Therapy World Congresses, people claimed drinking urine cured tuberculosis, HIV, malaria, and cancer, among others. Morning pee has a high concentration of melatonin, which has legitimate health benefits. But drinking your own urine is not recommended.

"That is for now," says Braden Fuller. "Stick with your regular drink but within a few years my company will have several very delicious morning beverages to compete with caffeine based brews."

Former New York Mets outfielder Moises Alou famously used to urinate on his hands to "toughen them up." Others claim urine is a skin treatment.  Urine therapy is controversial, as few studies exist to substantiate these claims.

"Hiring test subjects has been an extremely difficult process," said researcher Dr. Ulla B. Smyth. "People are interested in the remuneration. They just don't like getting pissed on."

In addition to changing its smell, certain foods can also influence the color of urine. Beets can cause urine to be a reddish tint. Fava beans or rhubarb can cause urine to be dark brown or even black. Blackberries can turn it pink. Try fresh mangosteen for a muti-colored urine stream. It's like peeing a rainbow. 

"It's very relaxing, almost Zen like," said Dr. John Learner. "It can be hypnotic so be careful not to close your eyes and make a mess. Of course, you can sit like the Swedes suggest but you'd miss all the fun."

A Swedish political party proposed a motion to require gender-free bathrooms requiring all people to sit-down when urinating. According to the party, men who urinate sitting down are at a lower risk for prostate problems. They are also much less likely to argue with their female partners about leaving the toilet seat up.

A rumor exists that stopping urinating midstream can be bad for you. By all accounts – admittedly, nothing definitive in a peer-review journal – there is nothing dangerous about stopping urine midstream.

The real question here is why anyone would do this.

Nearly one in five men do not wash their hands after using the bathroom (see Moises Alou). According to a poll by Harris Interactive, 18% of men did not wash hands after using a public restroom.

"It was a long and arduous process, hiding in the toilet stalls all day watching men urinate and either wash or not wash their hands," said Director Harvey Schlesinger. "Of course, urine can and sometimes does contain bacteria. We've concluded it's best to avoid pissing on ones hands but always wash with soap and hot water just to be safe."

"The rule of thumb is to sing two choruses of the Happy Birthday to Me song while hand washing. Just do it quietly or even better, sing it in your head."

An Australian veterinary surgeon said a surgery to remove a brain tumor from a 10-year-old goldfish was a complete success.

Dr. Tristan Rich of the Lort Smith Animal Hospital in Melbourne said George, a 10-year-old goldfish, underwent surgery last week to remove a brain tumor that was "affecting his quality of life" and the fish is now "swimming happily in his home."

Rich said the 45-minute procedure, which cost the fish's owner about $180, was tricky because he had to be "very careful about blood loss," with the fish only able to lose about half a milliliter of blood (.02 of an ounce) safely.

Rich said goldfish surgeries are uncommon, but he has performed about 10 similar procedures in his career. He said veterinarians do not discriminate between species when it comes to saving the lives of beloved pets.

George's owner, Lee Clariet of Paynedale near Perth made the four hour flight with the ailing fish because, as he said, "I'm convinced he is the reincarnation of my favorite Uncle Otto. George loves to swim to the edge of his bowl and I swear he watches cricket and football on my telly. He seems to favor the Adelalide Crows. A goldfish can live more than twenty years. I hope I've given him a few more good ones."

And here I still hope for world peace. It's been eight years....get over it.

Officials in an Ohio county are asking a church and a strip club to stop their weekly protests of each other after eight years.

Coshocton Law Director Bob Skelton wrote a letter, cosigned by the prosecutor and sheriff asking Pastor Bill Dunfee of New Beginnings Ministries and Foxhole North owner Thomas George to stop their weekly protests because of their negative impact on the county's image and the strain on local law enforcement.

"These protests are becoming a little more escalated, and we're just worried about violence breaking out," Skelton said. We felt the need to plead with both sides to at least stop for a while."

Pastor Dunfee said he would have to read the letter before making a decision.

George said his Sunday protests at the church were designed to call attention to the church's Friday night protests at his business and the demonstrations escalated when his dancers started going topless at the protests, which is legal under Ohio law.

It is legal to go topless at church protests on Sunday but only after 3 p.m.

A free drink, a salad or heartburn I expected.

"It has come to our attention that one of our stores has recently been running a promotion which was not approved by Pizza Hut Australia, nor was condoned in any circumstances."

"We would like to sincerely apologize to anyone who was offended by this."

"The poster has since been taken down and all those involved have been made aware of the severity and inappropriateness of the promotion."

"On behalf of Pizza Hut Australia we once again apologize for this thoughtless promotion ever occurring and would like to reassure you all that this matter is being seriously dealt with."

Please be sure and follow us on Twitter and Facebook for our next promotion.

Buy any 10 large pizzas and get a six month membership to a health club of your choice.