Grab Bag Trivia Time:

October 4th… today in history, a Russian event made news, an American classic premiered, and an American musical explorer bowed out. What are these 3 events?

Grab Bag Self Stimulus Tip:

No… not that. This is about the economy, silly. This letter is circulating the internet right now, and the awareness it raises is valuable:

My grandson likes Hershey’s candy. I noticed, though, that it is marked 
”made in Mexico” now. (Note from LK… some Hershey products are still made in the U.S.) I do not buy it any more. My favorite toothpaste, Colgate, is “made in Mexico” now. I have switched to Crest. You have to read the labels on everything.

This past weekend I was at Kroger. I needed 60W light bulbs and Bounce
 dryer sheets. I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to the GE brand I normally buy was an off-brand, labeled, “Everyday Value”. I picked up both types of bulbs and compared the stats – they were the same except for the price. The GE bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand but the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that GE was made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand was made in – get ready for this – the USA! In a company in Cleveland, Ohio! So throw out the myth that you cannot find products you use every day that are made right here.

So on to another aisle – Bounce Dryer Sheets . . . yep, you guessed it, Bounce cost more money and is made in Canada. The Everyday Value brand was less money and MADE IN THE USA! I did laundry yesterday and the dryer sheets performed just like the Bounce Free I have been using for years and at almost half the price!

My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA. The job you save may be your own or your neighbors!

If you accept the challenge, email everyone in your address book so we can all start buying American, one light bulb at a time! Stop buying from overseas companies!
(We should have awakened a decade ago . . . . . . )
Let’s get with the program . . . . help our fellow Americans keep their jobs and create more jobs here in the U.S.A.

Grab Bag Dry Skin Remedy:

Winter ‘s dry wind will be blowing your skin as dry as a nun’s gullet in no time. If that flakey, tight, dry skin’s got you bugged, here are some tips to start RIGHT AWAY:

• Try not to bathe or shower for very long. Studies have shown it takes EIGHT HOURS for your body to replace the natural skin oils removed by just one average shower. Speaking from experience, this has made a BIG difference for my skin. I’ll even skip a day if I can… my skin feels and looks so much better for it.
• Evening Primrose Oil, Borage Oil and Black Currant Oil are all good sources of GLA (gamma-linolenic acid) which is REALLY good for hair, skin and nails. 500 mg. capsules morning and night is a standard dosage. Start this supplement NOW…. in 6-8 weeks you will begin to see improvements.

Grab Bag “Ooops” Moment, but HEY, New Water  Bottle!:

So…. millions of us wanted to do the right thing and stop the senseless and potentially harmful consumption of disposable plastic water bottles. We trotted out and bought some really cool, Swiss made, SIGG bottles. Fun colors! Cool designs!  To achieve a lightweight bottle, SIGG chose to manufacture out of aluminum, which requires a liner to keep aluminum from leaching anything into the bottle contents. OK, I’ll go with that.

Then, in September of 2008, the bisphenol A (BPA) study was released showing enough valid health concerns that BPA plastics have been largely pulled off the market. SIGG was conspicuously quiet as legions rushed to buy their bottles. JUST TWO WEEKS AGO,  a full year after the BPA upheaval, SIGG announced that, well, er, uh, all their bottles made before August 2008 had some BPA in the lining.

Studies have shown that there has been no leaching of BPA from tested SIGG bottles, but customers are PISSED at the deceptive tactics used. SIGG has responded with an exchange program. If you bring your pre-August 2008  SIGG (here is a link to show the difference) to REI (but I believe they require the receipt, and who the heck still has that?), Whole Foods, and perhaps other retailers that carry Sigg, (but call first), you can get a new Sigg in exchange. You can also pay to ship them back to Sigg, and they will send you new bottles. More explained about that here. This exchange program ends at the end of October.

Patagonia is so ticked that they ended their relationship with SIGG over this issue. Other retailers may follow. And where does that leave us? Well, for starters, that whole “trust-us-we’re-neutral-and-harmless-bankers-and-watchmakers-here-in-Switzerland” vibe is taking a hit for sure. As for a good alternative? There’s always the stainless steel Kleen Kanteen…. which…. is…. made in China :-(.

Grab Bag Swine Flu… To Shot or Not to Shot?:

If you’re a number cruncher, it probably makes sense to take the flu shot. The statistical rate of dire complications with the vaccine are very low…. low, that is, until you are one of the statistical few. You can’t predict the future, so I say GO WITH YOUR INSTINCT as to what’s right for you. What do the “experts” say?

In a nutshell…there should be plenty to go around, so you should be able to get it if you want it “just because”. But these are the CDC guidelines encouraging those who fall into any of the following risk categories to take the shot:

• You are a health care or emergency worker
• You are pregnant
• You live with or care for children under the age of 6 months
• You are 6 months to 24 years old
• You are 25 to 65 with underlying health conditions (asthma, diabetes, heart disease) or a compromised immune system

Grab Bag Three-Part Funny Stuff:

Part A: Watch your favorite website SPEAK IN TONGUES!

Click on the link below, choose your favorite “dialect” (Jive is one of the best) from the pull down menu, and  type or paste in ANY internet address (www.whitehouse.gov is fun, or see this week’s Grab Bag post in your favorite dialect by pasting this link in: http://www.ellkayblog.wordpress.com) and see what happens. Hilarious.

THE DIALECTIZER

Part B: See New Daily Home Improvement Tips Martha Stewart never thought of.

THERE, I FIXED IT

Part C: If you’re into Pac-10 college football, or know someone who is, cue this baby up: