The weather is warming up, people are heading outside to exercise, and we’ve been told our entire lives to drink “plenty of water.” Not everyone realizes, however, that it’s possible to drink TOO much. How much is enough, and how much is too much?
You may remember back in January 2007, when Jennifer Strange, 28, a Sacramento-area mom of three, was found dead in her home of water intoxication. Jennifer had competed in a radio station’s “Hold Your Wee for a Wii” contest. The contest winner would be whoever drank the most water without going to the bathroom; the prize, a Nintendo Wii video game system. Jennifer wanted to win it for her kids.
“Holding it” against nature’s urging to get rid of it is intuitively a bad idea, and putting yourself in danger in order to gain some material thing is just foolish. The bulk of the blame lies with the radio station, however; station officials had been advised that someone had previously died of the same cause in a hazing incident, and they reportedly didn’t take Jennifer seriously when she complained of feeling ill. Still, this story should be a warning to everyone who might think that if drinking plenty of water is good for us, then there’s no such thing as “too much.”
Borrowers who can afford higher mortgage payments, and who meet lenders’ stricter loan guidelines, often opt to replace their 30-year mortgages with shorter term loans at near-record low rates.
The latest Freddie Mac quarterly survey of homeowners who refinanced found that more than one in three borrowers who refinanced from a 30-year fixed-rate loan opted to replace it with 15-year or 20-year mortgages at near-record low rates.
Homeowners considering refinancing into a shorter-term mortgage must have the income or financial reserves sufficient to pay the extra money each month.
Borrowers not only need to have the income or financial reserves, they also have to qualify for a refinance, have the credit score needed, and the home appraisal to support it.
For some low-cost refi programs, lenders want to see at least 25 percent equity in the house. Higher FICO credit score requirements by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are another impediment, as both companies reserve their best rates for borrows with FICO scores of 740 or higher.
Photo courtesy of http://e-wasteregulation.blogspot.com/
Fundraiser will benefit the Nevada County Fairgrounds and help the environment
A FREE electronic waste collection fundraiser will be held from 9 am – 1 pm on Saturday, June 4, in the parking lot of Prosperity Lanes at 420 Henderson Street in Grass Valley. The collection is free and drive through service will be provided, making it even more convenient for customers. Simply pop the trunk or open the door and it will be unloaded for you!
The event is sponsored by Nevada County 4-H Cal Focus Delegates, who have partnered with California Electronic Asset Recovery (CEAR) to collect and recycle e-waste. All funds raised from the donated e-waste will benefit the Nevada County Fairgrounds.
Each year, the youth of Nevada County 4-H Cal Focus choose an action that will benefit a need in their community. This year, when the group learned that the state of California was cutting back funding for the Fairgrounds, the youth decided the best way they could help and give back is to hold an e-waste fundraising event to benefit the Fairgrounds. All of proceeds will go directly to the Nevada County Fairgrounds.
Electronic waste that will be accepted include monitors, televisions, desktop and notebook PCs, VCRs, stereo equipment, speakers, keyboards, mice, PDAs, digital cameras, zip drives, telephones, cell phones, printers, copiers, laser and multifunction scanners and fax machines, microwaves, and small household appliances (toasters, mixers & blenders, and vacuum cleaners with the dust bag removed). For optimal security, CEAR shreds all computer hard drives.
Items that will not be accepted include large household appliances (refrigerators, washers, dryers, etc.), furniture, and hazardous household waste (including batteries, car batteries, paint, pesticides, used oil, cleaning supplies, fluorescent light bulbs, tires, etc.).
CEAR, INC. is a California state approved electronic waste collector and recyclers, and a proud member of the Basel Action Network’s responsible e-steward recyclers. For more information about CEAR, visit www.cearinc.com.
Nevada County 4-H Cal Focus is a unique citizenship educational experience that combines hands-on participation in workshops, debates, and simulations with speakers, tours, fun activities, and the opportunity to meet individuals from across California. Cal
Civil War Federal Troops Brass Band May 2011 - Photo John O'Dell cell phone camera
After a late sleep and a relaxing morning, Pat drove us to Alexandria, very close to Washington, but on the Virginia side of the Potomac River. It was a very quaint, very touristy town (reminded us of Nevada City), filed this day with Anniversary Celebrations of the Civil War, 150 years ago.
The town was heavily involved at the time, both confederate and union soldiers had occupied the area. There were many people re-enacting roles from that time, civilians of all types, physicians and nurses, soldiers in both the grey and the blue, provost marshals (sort of like military and civilian police combined).
Federal Soldiers - Photo John J. O'Dell Samsung CL65 camera
There was a military brass band, and we had just missed the appearance of “Robert E. Lee,” (Lincoln was noticeably missing from the celebration; I guess it is a town with a lot of confederate sympathizers!) One of the fascinating facts we learned was that for every soldier in the Civil War killed in battle, two more were killed by infections. Even bringing the soldiers together in units caused sickness, as people raised in more isolated areas of the country had not had smallpox, or some of the other killer diseases of the day. Another problem was that the soldiers contaminated the drinking water with fecal waste from their animals and themselves, so dysentery killed many people.
Confederate soldiers - Photo John J. O'Dell Samsung CL65 camera
We also visited a wonderful “frozen in time” apothecary shop with original exterior and interior, the glassware was original too, and some of the jars had the real dregs of the medicines that were in them originally! Apparently the family that was operating it during the Civil War retained the store and it was continuously in operation for 150 years. At the end of that time they locked the door and walked away, so it was discovered later in mint condition.
A wonderful seafood dinner concluded our day, and afterwards a stroll to the waterfront where we witnessed a fascinating magician’s presentation, holding us enthralled for a good 15 minutes and leaving us totally mystified at the end.
On Sunday we got an even later start, and this time drove to Manassas, to see the newly opened Ben Lomand Manor House. Originally a plantation owner’s house, it was rented to a Scottish family, raising sheep, when the war began. The family was allowed to stay (in only one room of the house) after it became a hospital and ended up selling its sheep and produce to the confederates.
Here again, the worse enemy was infection. One man was shot, but the bullet only pushed his coat button and some of his clothing inside his chest. The surgeons (he had two as he was a higher ranking officer) removed the button and cleaned the wound. But days later gangrene started in inside his chest, and within a few more days he was dead. The man portraying the surgeon, showed us a real surgeon’s box from 1861, the limited number of tools they had to operate with were amazing. We even saw an original tourniquet, a metal tube used for tracheotomies, and a saw that cut a round hole in the skull to relieve pressure on the brain from head wounds.
When one of the first battles of the Civil War was nearby, the Confederate forces took over the house for use as a field hospital. The dining room was converted to a surgery operating room, and all other rooms became recovery rooms for soldiers. Assuming the soldiers lived through the surgery, the recovery beds were a couple of blankets on top of a layer of straw on the floor of the house. If they survived this “recovery” they were sent elsewhere to a general hospital for rehabilitation, as more wounded poured into the field hospital.
There were also some slave cabins, and other original outbuildings on the plantation, and a beautiful heritage rose garden with some very old varieties of roses and other plants of the day. An interesting note is that as the confederates left the area, the union took over the house as a military headquarters. Because the young union soldiers considered the family “traitors” for selling to and helping the confederates, they apparently wrote graffiti all over most of the walls in the house, some of which are still visible today.
May 19, 2011 taking the Metro now, as it seems to have better hours than the commuter train; we arrive in DC on Thursday 5/19/2011, and walk to the United States Botanical Garden (near the Capitol). This garden was first established in 1820, by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison!! It moved to its present location in 1850. After a stroll in the outside garden with mostly native plants we enter the big glass walled garden. Here there are different sections devoted to almost any environment imaginable, from the desert to the jungle and everything in between. One area explores the use of plants as medicines, proving that the original medicine men and women really knew what they were talking about. There are some truly amazing orchid plants and dozens of other amazing flowers.
Then, basically across the street we find the National Museum of American Indian, the 18th Smithsonian museum, opened in 2004, with a beautiful exterior design, reminding me of rock formations in the southwest of America, and even inside, everything is rounded, I don’t think there was a straight wall in the whole place.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
And what really surprised me, was, this museum covered Indians from Antarctica to the Arctic, the whole of the “Americas”, South, Central and North, even Hawaii… and I had no idea that there were so many different tribes, customs and foods. Speaking of food, we went to the renowned native inspired Mitsitam cafeteria for lunch, trying foods from South America, Central America, and the Northeast. All were quite good, so we ventured on, learning of each tribe, their customs, beliefs, and lifestyles. The overwhelming sense was how badly most of the indigenous population of the Americas have been treated by the “conquering” Europeans, really, continuing to the present day. A very sad side of our growth as a nation.
In the afternoon, we went to the National Air and Space Museum, just up the street, but knowing that we would have to come back the next day to “finish.” We spent most of our time in an IMAX presentation about the Hubble Telescope, how it has been repaired multiple times in space, and what it has taught us about our universe, and millions of other universes. It is a truly amazing film, including the sensation of actually being in space with the astronauts, if you ever have the chance, please go see this IMAX film, the stars will virtually come to dance on your face.
May 20, 2011, returning to the National Air and Space Museum on Friday, we viewed many other historical aircraft and stories, from the Wright Brothers, delivery of the US Mail, WW I, WW II and the current day. The museum is quite complete, having full size airplanes, unmanned drones, and a replica of the first space craft on the moon. There were TONS of excited children there, and many interactive sites, one of the most child friendly museums we have seen. And the “cafeteria” was only McDonald’s!
Photo courtesy of the National Archives
Moving on, we went to the National Archives for a peek at the founding documents of our nation, and a tour of the importance of the archives in recording the truth, researching the past, and even righting some of the wrongs that we have made as a nation. The National Archives and Records Administration is our national record keeper, created in 1034. Anyone is allowed to access the records, researching family trees, citizenship records, and any other research you are interested in. Through its records proof was found of the money the Nazis stole from Jewish families, resulting in a return of that money to relatives of the victims.
Photo courtesy of Spy Museum
From there we went to the private International Spy Museum, with some chilling looks at the past, present and future of the damage that is possible to be caused by spies. There were truly some interesting stories of people in the past who were spies, including famous actors and actresses, I would have never thought it was possible.
There was a chilling glimpse of spy tactics and terrorism in the future that might be ahead for us, using the internet. It was a very scary ending. Thinking back over our trip, one day we were at cafeteria where the computers had gone down, and we witnessed the mass confusion that that caused, people with no cash, huge lines etc. …Just think what would happen if we had no electricity for an extended period of time, and it was a deliberate action, with no rapid repairs on the way??? Or any number of mass scale interventions in our country.
Judy J. Pinegar is a writer
She has written for numerous web sites and magazines
May 18, 2011, Pat, John’s daughter’s husband’s mother, had arranged a Bus trip to the National Museum of Natural History, and it was perfect timing. Both John and I were very tired, with sore feet from the day before! Arriving we saw a performance of Tahitian and Hawaiian dance (although only a few of the dancers were actually Tahitians!).
We then spent the rest of the day in this wonderful museum. One of my favorite areas was following the beginning of life, from the “big bang” to present day, tracking both the plants and animals who lived in the seas, and those who adapted to live on land. Seeing that huge timeline, where mammals have only come to occupy the earth in the last few centuries, it really gives you a sense of how tiny we are in the whole scope of things, and what the future might hold. So many things have become extinct, we might even be next!
costa-rica-coast
Image 1 of 9
Costa Rica Shoreline
We also saw an IMAX presentation on the Dinosaurs and actual relic research and reconstruction in Argentina today. The big screen and the 3-D really make an impressive viewing, Once, I had a dinosaur step on my face, and I definitely ducked when a prehistoric bird flew right at me!
The section on Mammals was very interesting, we certainly have some strange cousins, all with the three things that mammals all must have (1. Hair, 2. Milk for the young, and 3. An inner ear). We even saw a display of the first mammal, a little mouse like creature who lived in the time of the dinosaur, but actually survived that time to mutate and change over centuries to become the mammals of today.
Another area I loved was the Butterfly Viewing Rooms, although a little humid and warm to keep the butterflies in good condition, it was filled with beautiful plants and thousands of butterflies. Many types I have never seen, who actually come and land on your arm, or clothing, or the floor beneath your feet. You had to really watch where you were stepping in that area, and when you left they checked all your clothing for castaways!
This is one museum that really takes more than one visit to view, at least for us, but the bus soon left returning us to an early relaxing evening and sleep.
Judy J. Pinegar is a writer
She has written for many different websites and magazines
On Monday May 16, 2011, our day started with a Capitol Tour set up by our Congressman’s Office. We discovered this was a MUCH nicer way to go that the regular public tours. First we were in a group of about 10, instead of the 20-25 in the public tours, and secondly we were able to go three places the regular tour doesn’t go to: the “Old Supreme Court”, The “Old Senate Chamber”, and the overview seats in the House of Representatives Chamber. Unfortunately the Congress was not in session, so we didn’t get to see what is normally chaotic sessions, with yelling and such other good things that our congress men and women do.
From there we went to the Newseum, a fantastic (relatively new) museum. It is not part of the Smithsonian, but it was well worth the money, I would recommend it highly to anyone going to DC. We had only an hour or so, but the tickets were good for two days, so we knew we could be back. (and in fact we spent another three hours after our visit to the Ford Theater (below) and again Tuesday morning for another 4 hours. All historical events related to reporting of the news up to current day were recorded. We saw everything from a piece of the Berlin wall, to a replica of the Unabomer’s cabin, to the damaged radio tower from the top of the World Trade Center in 9/11, and everything in between.
Ford Theater - photo courtesy of Wikipedia
At 2 PM we arrived at the Ford Theater for a viewing of the museum, followed by a ranger talk in the Ford Theater, complete with the Presidential Box where President Lincoln was shot. We learned there were two other assignations planned for that day (they were not successful) and John Wilkes Booth had about 8 co-conspirators who were all caught and all but one was executed. Even the boy who coincidentally (not knowing of the plot) held Booth’s horse in the alley was sentenced to 8 years hard labor!
The assassination of Abraham Lincoln - Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
On Tuesday 5/17/11, we returned to the Newseum, this time also getting to see a 4-D (the seats moved!) …….. Following this we walked to the “Castle”, the Smithsonian Museum central office and information center, on the National Mall. The landscaping was unbelievable.
Part of the original Berlin Wall
As we walked off to the next museum, we discovered John had left his (brand new) I-pad with 3g somewhere in the information center. We rushed back, searched various locations and were about to decide it was stolen, when someone found it and returned it to a security guard!! John gave that nice lady a big hug! He had put it down while taking a picture of this orchid display.
Then we were off to the Bureau of Printing and Engraving, also set up by our Congressman’s office, for a small private tour of this facility, where money is MADE. This was very interesting, and we toured the four areas where the paper is first printed, checked, stamped with the seals, re-checked and serialized. We were told it wasn’t actually “money” until it had been received by the Federal Reserve, and the serial numbers entered into the computer. But we saw a stack of printed bills, about chest high, which represented $64,000,000!! And in the shop you could buy shredded dollars (bad printing jobs) for about $5.00 for a small bottle.
Sunday May 15, 2011 was supposed to be the day the rain really came in to DC. But the morning was bright and sunny, so Pat drove us up to Washington for an overview. We found a parking place near the monuments, and proceeded to view: The World War II Memorial, The Reflecting Pond (not reflecting anything right now, it is under reconstruction, so all we saw was the pile-driver and hundreds of piles being driven into the ground to support the concrete for the reconstructed reflecting pool), the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, and the Vietnam War Memorial.
Reflecting Pool under re-construction.
Following this, we drove to Arlington Cemetery, and took the bus tour to see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (actually three unknown solders, from World War I, World War II and the Korean War) The day we were there they actually had two ceremonies to change the wreath, as well as the normal changing of the guard.
cataratas-nauyaca
Image 1 of 5
Upper Cataratas Nauyaca
We then moved on to Arlington House, which was built by George Washington’s grandson, partly as a memorial to the first president. But his only surviving daughter, Mary Anna Randolph Custis, married General Robert E. Lee, of Confederate fame. After he left to fight for the confederacy, Mary Lee was forced to leave when the Union army took over her house. Almost immediately they began burying Union soldiers in the gardens around Arlington House. The Federal Troops did this on purpose so that General Lee would never again occupy the Arlington House. That was the start of the present day Arlington Cemetery. We were told that every day except Sunday 18 to 25 people are buried there.
Robert E. Lee and his wife never legally challenged for the return of the home, as Lee felt it would be too divisive. In 1870, after his father’s death, George Washington Custis Lee, their eldest son, filed a lawsuit in the Alexandria Circuit Court. The case was ultimately decided by the Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision in United States v. Lee, 106 U. S. 196 (1882). The court found that the estate had been ‘illegally confiscated’ in 1864 and ordered it returned, along with 1,100 acres (4 km2) of surrounding property. In 1883, Custis Lee sold the mansion and property to the U.S. government for $150,000 (roughly equal to $3.5 million in 2011 dollars) at a signing ceremony with Secretary of War, Robert Todd Lincoln.
Arlington House photo courtesy Wikipedia
Judy J. Pinegar is a writer
She has written for numerous blog sites and magazines
John O'Dell sitting with Abraham Lincoln in his booth prior to his assassination. (At the Wax Museum in Washington DC)
Awaking in time to catch the 8:20 am Train to Washington DC, we soon arrived at Union Station. Beautifully restored, with fantastic food venues I had to drool over even though my tummy was full from breakfast. On the way outside, we found a Double Decker Bus Tour, promising overview tours of the city, and decided that this was the best way to start… with an overview. After the “red line” tour through central DC and the monuments, we got off at Ford’s Theater, where President Lincoln was assassinated. We discovered reservations were needed (now set for next Monday afternoon) and that the house across the street where he died was closed for renovations!
Humm… so we visited a wax museum while waiting for the “yellow line” tour.
Judy Pinegar being questioned by J. Edgar Hoover, head of the FBI. (In the Wax Museum in Washington D.C.)
The yellow line is more of a residential and hotel tour to the north and west of central DC. After a stop for lunch (Thai) we finished the circuit in time to get off in “foggy bottom” (home of George Washington University) for a walk to the JFK Performing Arts Theater where we had been promised a tour. Very nice, through the three major theaters, and many minor theaters with lovely sights along the way, gifts from other countries, presidential suites, etc.
That ended our first day in Washington DC (after Turkish Food)
Saturday, after a late sleep, Pat drove us to Mount Vernon, truly a wonderfully restored and very educational site to visit. We discovered much more about George Washington than two Californians had ever known. What a man! After winning the war against the British, he could have gone on to military rule of the country, a king, or a dictator as so many generals became after winning major wars. Think of Caesar in Rome as an example.
His enormous stature and political skills kept Congress, the army, the French, the militias, and the states all pointed toward a common goal. By voluntarily stepping down and disbanding his army when the war was won, he permanently established the principle of civilian supremacy in military affairs. And yet his constant reiteration of the point that well-disciplined professional soldiers counted for twice as much as erratic amateurs helped overcome the ideological distrust of a standing army. Yet, he wanted the people to be in control of this great nation and not to be ruled by a king or the military.
We discovered he was not one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence it because he was with his army at the time. And that he really thought of himself as more of a farmer than a soldier or statesman. He made wonderful inventions to assist in his farming process, and had over 8,000 acres of farms in Virginia alone (plus he owned land elsewhere in the country.) P.S. his teeth were NEVER made out of wood!
Arriving at Dulles International late Wednesday, John and I were picked up by John’s daughter’s husband’s mother, Pat who drove us to Dale City, Virginia, her house, to be our base for the trip.
Sleeping to an embarrassing 11:00 AM local time, and after breakfast, we were dropped by Pat at a train station thinking to go late to Washington DC. NO Deal… it was a commuter train station. After reading all signs in the building and outside (the office [and bathroom] was closed from Noon to 3:00 PM), we decided our only option was a local bus to Quantico VA, about 15 miles south of our location. A helpful bus driver (and all of the passengers) encouraged us to stop first at the National Museum of the Marine Corps, off the Jefferson Davis Highway at the “Triangle.” A brief walk and we see the beautiful first view of the Museum.
After a quick visit to the Mess Hall, we spent a couple of hours in the museum.
museum-rafael-angel-calderd
Image 1 of 9
Rafael Angel Calderón Museum
Knowing we had to catch the local bus to go to the town of Quantico, we walked back to the bus stop, and with impeccable timing, the bus was there within 5 minutes (pure luck on our part). I was hoping to see the FBI training center and other sites I had read about (crime novels), but I was disappointed as the bus went through trees and more trees, with some turnoffs we didn’t get to take, until we got to the tiny town of Quantico. One of the residents told us it was “the only town in America totally within a Marine Base”… and indeed that was what we found. No museums, lots of housing, lots of barbershops, lots of military clothing stores, a few restaurants, and not as many bars as I had expected. Really very quiet.
But we toured the town, found a place to eat and were back at the bus stop by 8:00 PM for the ride back to the Woodbridge Train/Bus Station.
At least we were successful in doing something with our first half-day in Virginia! On to DC tomorrow… this time with an early wake-up call.
By Judy J. Pinegar
Judy is a writer who has written for numerous websites and magazines
She may be reached by email jpinegar@calwisp.com View Larger Map
