I was recently taken under the influence of an errant thought.
What was the name of that actor, that starred in the hallmark 80s movie the Highlander? I couldn't ditch the thought, and I decided to look up Christopher Lambert, the actor. In the process, I found that there had been a number of sequels, an animated movie, a television series that went on for 6 seasons (!) and a 2007 anime-style movie of a dystopic future in a postmodern world stricken by war, disease, and the products of an excessive civilization.
I decided to assault my sensibilities with this most recent presentation of The Highlander, and I was not disappointed.
Action.
Drama.
Stunning animation.
Graphic violence, tension of multiple kinds, love stories and tales of might and magic.
It was quite entertaining, I'd recommend it to anyone that has not yet seen the film.
It is a full hour and a half of content, so make sure to have enough time, but it is available on DVD and probably through some sort of streaming service if you are looking for that kind of thing.
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Frugality Is A Good Thing
I am a strong proponent of frugality as an approach to a number of endeavors, for a variety of reasons that I will expand upon below and possibly in future posts.
I believe that a frugal person can make a given amount of resources go farther and perform more effectively than a spendthrift, and thereby gain the most utility out of them. It is easier to provide for oneself and ones dependents when living frugally, thus reducing the stress and pressure to engage in less than pleasant activities for money to live off of, and allowing for a greater freedom to seek fulfillment in one's days beyond the simple procurement of wages.
Frugality is also more likely to result in an excess of funds than wanton or unintentional spending, which allows for the benefits of giving, saving, and investing in the future as opposed to immediate and satisfying consumption.
Far be it from me to condemn anyone for their habits, and many people are still living within their means when they spend what seem to be astronomical sums, but for my purposes a lower than average cost of living is more than adequate to meet my needs.
I believe that a frugal person can make a given amount of resources go farther and perform more effectively than a spendthrift, and thereby gain the most utility out of them. It is easier to provide for oneself and ones dependents when living frugally, thus reducing the stress and pressure to engage in less than pleasant activities for money to live off of, and allowing for a greater freedom to seek fulfillment in one's days beyond the simple procurement of wages.
Frugality is also more likely to result in an excess of funds than wanton or unintentional spending, which allows for the benefits of giving, saving, and investing in the future as opposed to immediate and satisfying consumption.
Far be it from me to condemn anyone for their habits, and many people are still living within their means when they spend what seem to be astronomical sums, but for my purposes a lower than average cost of living is more than adequate to meet my needs.
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Save Money on utilities by using your Microwave to the Max
Most modern itchens are not only equipped with the essentials, but also a bevy of gadgets, gizmos, and doodads that serve valuable functions and can help streamline kitchen workflow.
They also cost money, take time to clean and use, and usuallly perform functions that can be done by one or two simple devices, albeit not quite as perfectly.
For a great example, one could definitely live without an oven.
Sure, if you are baking bread weekly like a certain someone I know, perhaps an oven is a necessity, but if you just use it as an extra place to stow snacks or stacks of pots and pans, you might be fine with a stripped down kitchen with a good quality microwave oven.
In fact, due to the speed and efficiency of microwave cooking, you could save over 30 dollars monthly in electricity or heating just by using the microwave oven instead of a full range.
They also cost money, take time to clean and use, and usuallly perform functions that can be done by one or two simple devices, albeit not quite as perfectly.
For a great example, one could definitely live without an oven.
Sure, if you are baking bread weekly like a certain someone I know, perhaps an oven is a necessity, but if you just use it as an extra place to stow snacks or stacks of pots and pans, you might be fine with a stripped down kitchen with a good quality microwave oven.
In fact, due to the speed and efficiency of microwave cooking, you could save over 30 dollars monthly in electricity or heating just by using the microwave oven instead of a full range.
Friday, February 20, 2015
A List of Websites that can help to Pay for the Medical Care of Pets
I spend a lot of time looking at charity cases, and there are an innumerable number of cases related to the costs of pet care.
While a dog, cat, lizard, or other pet might be cheap to buy or adopt, food, toys, and medical care for these animals can be unbelievably high. Even though a dog might only take 20 or 30 dollars a month worth of food, it might come down with a case of cancer that costs 10,000 dollars a month to treat or 15,000 to operate on.
I recently found a list of sites that offer assistance to people with sick pets, listed below. I hope that you find that this list helps someone, and I'd appreciate it if you shared it with others in case they ever have need:
While a dog, cat, lizard, or other pet might be cheap to buy or adopt, food, toys, and medical care for these animals can be unbelievably high. Even though a dog might only take 20 or 30 dollars a month worth of food, it might come down with a case of cancer that costs 10,000 dollars a month to treat or 15,000 to operate on.
I recently found a list of sites that offer assistance to people with sick pets, listed below. I hope that you find that this list helps someone, and I'd appreciate it if you shared it with others in case they ever have need:
- Best Friend Animal Society http://bestfriends.org/Resources/Pet-Care/General-Pet-Care/Miscellaneous/Financial-Assistance-for-Pet-Owners/
- Angels for Animals (Canton Ohio): http://www.angelsforanimals.org/auLocHrs.asp
- Brown Dog Foundation http://www.browndogfoundation.org/prequal
- Low and no cost spaying and neutering http://fixatfour.com/getyourfix.html
- Canine Cancer Awareness http://caninecancerawareness.org/apply-for-financial-assistance
- Care Credit http://www.carecredit.com/vetmed/
- Cats In Crisis http://www.catsincrisis.org/contact.html
- Fairy Dog Parents http://www.fairydogparents.org/apply-online.html
- Frankie’s Friends http://www.frankiesfriends.com/programs-2/hope-fund-happy-tails-2/
- Gracie’s Mission http://graciesmission.org/Home_Page.html
- Paws 4 A Cure http://www.paws4acure.org/application.php
- Shakespeare Animal Fund http://shakespeareanimalfund.org/qualify.html
- The Dog & Cat Cancer Fund http://www.dccfund.org/treatment/application/
- The Magic Bullet Fund http://www.themagicbulletfund.org/Apply.shtml
- The Mosby Foundation (No emergencies): http://www.themosbyfoundation.org/what.html
- The Pet Fund (advice) http://www.thepetfund.com/financial.htm
- Red Rover http//www.redrover.org/node/1198
- Extend Credit (financing): http://www.extendcredit.com/petcare-credit.htm
- PetChoice.org http://petchoice.org
/
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Energy Efficient Lights are All Right
One of the last places we look to save money is the lighting in our homes, but when you think about it, not only the bulbs but also their long term operating costs can really add up. If you are spending 15 dollars a month on lightbulbs at Home Depot, you can probably cut down your long term replacement costs by spending a little more for LED or Compact Flourescent Lightbulbs, which also run on much less electricity than the conventional incandescent bulbs. These newer technologies allow you to run a single bulb for over a year of conventional use, which more than compensates for the higher cost of the bulbs (up to $20 for a single bulb).
But the real savings comes from the reduction in energy costs. LED bulbs can save you $20 per fixture per year in electricity costs, every year going forward.
Make sure that you get the appropriate type of bulb for your light socket though, you don't want to install a non-dimmable bulb on a dimmable light, and have it burn out prematurely.
But the real savings comes from the reduction in energy costs. LED bulbs can save you $20 per fixture per year in electricity costs, every year going forward.
Make sure that you get the appropriate type of bulb for your light socket though, you don't want to install a non-dimmable bulb on a dimmable light, and have it burn out prematurely.
Monday, February 16, 2015
Turn Down the Heat, Turn Up the Savings
In frigid winter, there are few feelings better than warmth. A warm bed, a warm bath or shower, and a cup of hot tea are luxuries that we would be loath to part with.
At the same time, we might be paying out the nose to enjoy them.
By being conservative with the temperature settings in our homes, we can reduce drastically the amount of money spent heating them.
I live comfortably at 62 degrees Fahrenheit with socks and a sweater during the winter, and comfortably at 75 degrees Fahrenheit with light pants and a linen shirt during the summer.
I save on air conditioning, heat, and let the environment keep a little more of it's energy rich materials for the next generation.
Win-win-win!
At the same time, we might be paying out the nose to enjoy them.
By being conservative with the temperature settings in our homes, we can reduce drastically the amount of money spent heating them.
I live comfortably at 62 degrees Fahrenheit with socks and a sweater during the winter, and comfortably at 75 degrees Fahrenheit with light pants and a linen shirt during the summer.
I save on air conditioning, heat, and let the environment keep a little more of it's energy rich materials for the next generation.
Win-win-win!
Monday, February 9, 2015
5 Things to Know About Breast Implants: Monitoring is Crucial
5. Monitoring is crucial.
The FDA recommends that women with breast implants:
Insurance may not cover these screenings.
Gretchen Burns, a nurse consultant at FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) recommends that women with breast implants continue to perform self-examinations and get mammograms to look for early signs of cancer.
“Just because you have implants doesn’t mean you can ignore other breast health recommendations,” she says.
The FDA recommends that women with breast implants:
- promptly report any unusual signs or symptoms to their health care providers, and
- report any serious side effects to MedWatch, FDA’s safety information and adverse event reporting program.
Insurance may not cover these screenings.
Gretchen Burns, a nurse consultant at FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) recommends that women with breast implants continue to perform self-examinations and get mammograms to look for early signs of cancer.
“Just because you have implants doesn’t mean you can ignore other breast health recommendations,” she says.
5 Things to Know About Breast Implants: Breast Implants Have Long Term Risks
4. Learn about long-term risks.
Some women with breast implants have experienced connective tissue diseases, lactation difficulties or reproductive problems.
Current evidence does not support an association between breast implants and these conditions.
The FDA has identified a possible association between breast implants and the development of anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), a rare type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Women who have breast implants may have a very small but increased risk of developing ALCL in the fluid or scar tissue surrounding the implant.
Like other lymphomas, ALCL is a cancer of the immune system and not of breast tissue.
This is part of a series of posts about breast implants, beginning here.
For more information please visit
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm338144.htm
Some women with breast implants have experienced connective tissue diseases, lactation difficulties or reproductive problems.
Current evidence does not support an association between breast implants and these conditions.
The FDA has identified a possible association between breast implants and the development of anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), a rare type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Women who have breast implants may have a very small but increased risk of developing ALCL in the fluid or scar tissue surrounding the implant.
Like other lymphomas, ALCL is a cancer of the immune system and not of breast tissue.
This is part of a series of posts about breast implants, beginning here.
For more information please visit
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm338144.htm
5 Things to Know About Breast Implants: Communication with your Surgeon is Key
3. Communicate with the surgeon to achieve optimal results
Surgeons must evaluate the shape, size, surface texture and placement of the implant and the incision site for each woman.
Ask the surgeon questions about his or her professional experience, the surgical procedure, and the ways the implant might affect an individual’s life.
Also, tell the surgeon about previous surgeries and your body’s response—for example, whether surgeries resulted in excessive scar tissue—and discuss your expectations.
This helps the surgeon make operative decisions that achieve the desired appearance (i.e., incision location and size, implant size and placement).
Many women undergo reoperation to change implant size. To achieve optimal results after the first procedure, careful planning and reasonable expectations are necessary.
This is part of a series of posts about breast implants, beginning here.
For more information please visit
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm338144.htm
5 Things to Know About Breast Implants: Breast Implants are Not All The Same. They Need to be Researched Before Use
2. Research products.
Review the patient labeling. FDA advises that women look at the Summary of Safety and Effectiveness Data (SSED) for each implant to learn about their characteristics and the fillers used. These documents describe the risks associated with that breast implant, and how likely they are to occur for each implant based on the available evidence from clinical studies.
SSEDs have been produced for all approved saline and silicone gel-filled breast implants.
These summaries provide information on the indications for use, risks, warnings, precautions, and studies associated with FDA approval of the device.
Look at the frequency of serious complications found in the SSED.
The most serious are “those that lead to further surgeries, such as ruptures or capsular contracture,” says Tajanay Ki, a biomedical engineer in CDRH.
FDA advises health care providers to give women the full labeling—all of the patient information from the manufacturer—for an implant.
Ask your surgeon for the most recent version of the labeling.
You should have at least 1-2 weeks to review the information before making a decision, but with some reconstruction or revision surgery cases, it may be advisable to perform surgery sooner.
This is part of a series of posts about breast implants, beginning here.
For more information please visit
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm338144.htm
5 Things To Know About Breast Implants: Breast Implants Are Not Lifetime Devices
1. Breast implants are not lifetime devices.
The longer a woman has them, the greater the chances that she will develop complications, some of which will require more surgery. The patient can also request additional surgeries to modify the aesthetic outcome, such as size or shape.
“The life of these devices varies according to the individual,” says Gretchen Burns, a nurse consultant at FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH).
“All women with implants will face additional surgeries—no one can tell them when.” While a few women have kept their original implants for 20-30 years, “that is not the common experience.”
This is part of a series of posts about breast implants, beginning here.
For more information please visit
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm338144.htm
The longer a woman has them, the greater the chances that she will develop complications, some of which will require more surgery. The patient can also request additional surgeries to modify the aesthetic outcome, such as size or shape.
“The life of these devices varies according to the individual,” says Gretchen Burns, a nurse consultant at FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH).
“All women with implants will face additional surgeries—no one can tell them when.” While a few women have kept their original implants for 20-30 years, “that is not the common experience.”
This is part of a series of posts about breast implants, beginning here.
For more information please visit
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm338144.htm
5 Things To Know About Breast Implants: Introduction
First things first about breast implants:
In the United States, the FDA has approved implants for increasing breast size in women, for reconstruction after breast cancer surgery or trauma, and to correct developmental defects. Implants are also approved to correct or improve the result of a previous surgery.
A number of studies have reported that a majority of breast augmentation and reconstruction patients are satisfied with the results of their surgery.
So far, the FDA has approved two types of breast implants for sale in the U.S.: saline (salt water solution)-filled and silicone gel-filled. Both have a silicone outer shell and vary in size, shell thickness and shape.
There are risks associated with breast implantation. These include the following:
For more information please visit
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm338144.htm
In the United States, the FDA has approved implants for increasing breast size in women, for reconstruction after breast cancer surgery or trauma, and to correct developmental defects. Implants are also approved to correct or improve the result of a previous surgery.
A number of studies have reported that a majority of breast augmentation and reconstruction patients are satisfied with the results of their surgery.
So far, the FDA has approved two types of breast implants for sale in the U.S.: saline (salt water solution)-filled and silicone gel-filled. Both have a silicone outer shell and vary in size, shell thickness and shape.
There are risks associated with breast implantation. These include the following:
- the need for additional surgeries
- capsular contracture—scar tissue that squeezes the implant, possibly until it breaks
- breast pain and tenderness
- rupture (tears or holes in the shell) with deflation of saline-filled implants
- silent (without symptoms) rupture of silicone gel-filled implants
For more information please visit
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm338144.htm
"Time of Use" Utilities can Save you Money
Have you ever wondered why you pay the same price for electricity no matter whether every one of your neighbors is sucking power out of the grid, or you are the only one in your area using a lot of power?
Electrical companies spend massive amounts of money and resources to provide a surplus of power to consumers, so that they can accommodate all of the people that want to use power for their daily activities. They would love the opportunity to produce a little bit less and save those resources for future generations, and if people would use power in a more distributed fashion, with different people using the power grid at different times, it would be possible for them to do this.
In order to promote this kind of system, a lot of power companies have implemented Time of Use programs as an incentive to get people to use power during "off peak" hours, when most of the others on the power grid are not using electricity as much. The people on the plan will pay less per unit of power consumed during off peak times, and more during peak times, and usually end up spending less overall because if it is significantly cheaper, you might be more inclined to do your washing or gaming in the evening during the week rather than the weekend, for instance.
Although estimates vary, you could easily save 25 to 50 dollars on your electric bill each month by using such a system.
Electrical companies spend massive amounts of money and resources to provide a surplus of power to consumers, so that they can accommodate all of the people that want to use power for their daily activities. They would love the opportunity to produce a little bit less and save those resources for future generations, and if people would use power in a more distributed fashion, with different people using the power grid at different times, it would be possible for them to do this.
In order to promote this kind of system, a lot of power companies have implemented Time of Use programs as an incentive to get people to use power during "off peak" hours, when most of the others on the power grid are not using electricity as much. The people on the plan will pay less per unit of power consumed during off peak times, and more during peak times, and usually end up spending less overall because if it is significantly cheaper, you might be more inclined to do your washing or gaming in the evening during the week rather than the weekend, for instance.
Although estimates vary, you could easily save 25 to 50 dollars on your electric bill each month by using such a system.
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