Day 62: Online Christmas Shopping

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 62: Online Christmas Shopping

For the first time ever, I did all my Christmas shopping online. Other years I went to the mall and dragged myself from one end to another looking for gifts for my son. Usually, I know what he needs or can guess what he wants, so it’s merely a question of finding these things.

This year, however, things were different. With a pinched sciatica nerve, I couldn’t go to the mall. My back is a lot better than what it was almost four weeks ago, but I still can only stay on my feet for five or ten minutes at a time. So, I had to do my Christmas shopping online.

The trouble with online shopping though is that you have to know what you want. In a mall, you can walk around and look at various things, but online it’s more complicated. So, I started by opening Amazon where I typed in the search bar ‘gifts for men’. The result of my search was of no use to me. So I tried a more direct approach ... I asked my son to give me a list of things he would like.

While that made shopping a lot easier, now I was faced with another problem ... the shipping costs. For instance, I looked at an item that cost $20 but the shipping and handling costs were $23. Another item was priced $54 and the shipping and handling costs were $40.

Then I noticed that Amazon offered a service called Prime, with which feature shipping and handling would be free. Not every item was included in this free shipping list, but millions were. They offered a free 31 days trial, so I took them up on it.

Now that I was an Amazon Prime member I repeated my search for my son’s gifts. Gift #1 ... free shipping, gift #2 ... free shipping, gift #3 ... free shipping, I was suddenly in shopping heaven and found everything he wanted without having to pay one cent on shipping costs.

Now the question was, would the gifts arrive on time? Some were estimated to arrive this week, some next week, some in the third week of December. Well, that was cutting it a bit close but what the heck, if something arrived a little late, so what.

So that’s it, all my shopping is done. I’ve never been a big fan of shopping online, but I’ve changed my tune now. No more braving the cold. No more trudging through snow and slipping on patches of ice. No more crisscrossing the mall and putting up with loads of shoppers, standing in line to pay and then laden with heavy packages dragging myself home. This year I installed myself in an armchair, put my feet up and clicked my way through Amazon.

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Day 61: The Dangers of Parabens

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 61: The Dangers of Parabens

Earlier this week I shared with you my concern whether deodorants and breast cancer are related. Today we’re going to go a step further and look at the effects parabens have on the human body.

What are Parabens

This is what the experts have to say ... 

Parabens are a class of widely used preservatives in cosmetic and pharmaceutical products. Chemically, they are a series of parahydroxybenzoates or esters of parahydroxybenzoic acid (also known as 4-hydroxybenzoic acid). Parabens are effective preservatives in many types of formulas. These compounds, and their salts, are used primarily for their bactericidal and fungicidal properties. They are found in shampoos, commercial moisturizers, shaving gels, personal lubricants, topical/parenteral pharmaceuticals, spray tanning solution, makeup,^[1] and toothpaste. They are also used as food additives.

While it hasn’t been proven that parabens cause cancer, studies have found that parabens have an effect on human hormones, leading to cancer. When I read this piece of information it made me wonder why manufacturers are allowed to put such harmful ingredients in everyday items.

Pseudo-Estrogen Effects. Specifically, parabens act like estrogen, which may increase the risk of women developing estrogen-positive breast cancer. Researchers conducted tests on 20 different samples of human breast tumors, which revealed parabens to be present in each sample.

Isn't this shocking? In every single breast tumor traces of parabens were found. How can the FDA allow this!

Avoiding Parabens

Avoiding parabens is easier than you might think. All it takes is paying attention to the label of certain products.

Paraben-Free Shampoo & Conditioner

Pick up any supermarket shampoo or conditioner and chances are they’ll contain parabens or another harmful ingredient. Bain de Terre and Jason haircare products, on the other hand, are not only of a better quality than most supermarket products, they are paraben free.

Paraben-Free Shower Gel

Does your shower gel contain parabens? This website lists shower gels and body washes that do not contain these harmful chemicals. https://kit.com/Lucy/best-natural-paraben-free-bath-and-body-washes-2017

Paraben-Free Body Lotion

After showering or bathing, most women use a body lotion to keep their skin hydrated. In addition to various brands in this list there’s also St. Yves who has a large range of paraben-free body lotions.

Paraben-Free Moisturizer

Another item women use on a daily basis is moisturizer. Moisturizer is known to keep wrinkles and fine lines at bay and should be used before applying makeup. Other than moisturizers in this list there also Nivea.

Makeup

The majority of women use makeup before they go to work, out for a visit, out shopping or even just around the house. They don’t feel like themselves until they have their face on. Unfortunately, the foundation, eyeshadow, mascara, eyeliner, blush and lipstick they use all contain parabens. To avoid those nasty chemicals, have a look at this list. You’re sure to find a makeup brand you like. https://www.bcaction.org/our-take-on-breast-cancer/environment/safe-cosmetics/paraben-free-cosmetics/

Once you start paying attention, you can find all kinds of products that don’t contain harmful ingredients. Whatever you want or need, simply type “paraben free makeup” or “paraben free lotion” in your favorite search engine and see what comes up. Within no time you'll be on your way to a healthier way of life. 

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Day 60: What’s the difference between a tiger and a turkey?

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 60: What’s the difference between a tiger and a turkey?

Last Saturday a tiger was shot dead in Paris, France, after escaping from a circus. The media reacted with outrage. People made comments such as

You KILLED an animal from GOD because he escaped from your torture and confinement!!! The GUN should be turned on all you CIRCUS freaks!!!!! Karma will visit you all! 

I cried my eyes out over this story, it's just so sad, and I'm trying to think of how to help other animals who are subjected to this kind of cruel captivity, and I keep thinking it's more than just this one owner, it's apathy, and lack of awareness and knowledge. I would say, don't shoot the owner (although I feel that way too), but take him to task, legally, and in so doing, change the laws around this behavior. Talk about this, petition, make the world aware. We must use our voice and speak for those who can't and change our attitudes and culture.

Another Innocent Animal Murdered ~ Why? Because he escaped being held a slave and wandered, the streets of Paris, probably trying to find his way back to his home ~ Because of HUMANS this Animal lost his breathing life ~ He lost his living Life when he was caged as a slave for this circus ~ Shame on all who keep Animals captive for their own selfish profits ~ RIP Beautiful Tiger

While I’m as outraged as thousands of others about caging this animal and killing it when it escaped, this incident got me thinking. 

Two days before the tiger was killed it was Thanksgiving in the United States, a day for which millions of turkeys were slaughtered but nobody said a word because the media didn’t report it. Did it occur to anyone to give thanks to the turkey as it sat golden brown on their dinner table?

What’s the difference between a tiger and a turkey? Is it because a tiger is a beautiful cat and a turkey is just a bird? What does that say about the human race? Do only the beautiful get to live? Man am I glad I’m not a turkey.

And it’s not just turkeys. Every day millions of animals get slaughtered (some after spending their entire short lives in cages) and hunters take to the field to kill. Why is nobody outraged about that?

Many will argue that animals are there to provide food for humans. To a certain degree, I agree but a lot of this meat gets wasted. How many turkeys were not eaten because of an argument that disrupted the meal? How many turkeys ended up in the bin because they were undercooked or burned? How many half-eaten turkeys were throw away because the bird was too big for the family? 

Every day we throw away food, whether it be beef, pork, chicken, or whatever.

What makes these animals any less than a tiger?

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Day 59: Does deodorant increase the risk of breast cancer

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 59: Does deodorant increase the risk of breast cancer

The question does deodorant (or underarm protection in general) increase the risk of breast cancer has been going around for years. The breast cancer foundation says no, that no evidence has been found, yet other sources do state that deodorant can lead to breast cancer due to the fact that the aluminum in deodorant raises the estrogen in the body. For most women, present company included, it’s an excess of estrogen that causes breast cancer.

From dontmesswithmama.com I plucked this piece of information:

Aluminum is the ingredient in antiperspirants that actually clogs your pores and prevents sweating. Aluminum exposure has been linked with the development of Alzheimer’s disease and interferes with your estrogen levels. When your body can’t process estrogen properly, there’s a higher risk for breast and prostate cancer.

You can read more on the subject at:

https://dontmesswithmama.com/7-toxins-lurking-in-your-deodorant/

The Dangers of Aluminum

On the subject of aluminum I’m not going to say one word but rather let the experts of the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health speak:

Aluminum salts are used as the active antiperspirant agent in underarm cosmetics, but the effects of widespread, long term and increasing use remain unknown, especially in relation to the breast, which is a local area of application. 

Clinical studies showing a disproportionately high incidence of breast cancer in the upper outer quadrant of the breast together with reports of genomic instability in outer quadrants of the breast provide supporting evidence for a role for locally applied cosmetic chemicals in the development of breast cancer. 

Aluminum is known to have a genotoxic profile, capable of causing both DNA alterations and epigenetic effects, and this would be consistent with a potential role in breast cancer if such effects occurred in breast cells. 

Estrogen is a well established influence in breast cancer and its action, dependent on intracellular receptors which function as ligand-activated zinc finger transcription factors, suggests one possible point of interference from aluminum. 

Results reported here demonstrate that aluminum in the form of aluminum chloride or aluminum chlorhydrate can interfere with the function of estrogen receptors of MCF7 human breast cancer cells both in terms of ligand binding and in terms of estrogen-regulated reporter gene expression. 

This adds aluminum to the increasing list of metals capable of interfering with estrogen action and termed metallestrogens. Further studies are now needed to identify the molecular basis of this action, the longer term effects of aluminum exposure and whether aluminum can cause aberrations to other signaling pathways in breast cells. 

Given the wide exposure of the human population to antiperspirants, it will be important to establish dermal absorption in the local area of the breast and whether long term low level absorption could play a role in the increasing incidence of breast cancer.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16045991

Now, who would you rather believe? The breast cancer foundation who claims that there is no link between aluminum and breast cancer, or other sources that state that aluminum most definitely has an effect on estrogen and as such can cause breast cancer since breast cancer is linked to estrogen.

Personally, I rather don’t take the chance. Where there’s smoke there’s fire.

If you cannot do without some form of underarm protection, you might want to look at Ombra, a deodorant manufacturer that uses only natural ingredients in their products and does not include aluminum chlorohydrate.

Other natural forms of protection include baking soda, lemon juice, rubbing alcohol, or making your own. You can read more on the subject at Mother Nature Network at 

https://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/natural-beauty-fashion/stories/5-deodorant-alternatives

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My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 58: Pain management – Fasciitis

 

This morning I learned that someone I know is suffering from fasciitis. Ever the concerned, helpful and resourceful friend that I am, I immediately sprang into action and researched what fasciitis is and how to treat it.

 

What is Fasciitis

 

Fasciitis is a rather common cause of heel pain. Not just the heel though, but the ligaments that connect the heel to the toe bones. In other words, the whole flat or arched side of the foot. As we walk and run, these ligaments absorb the pressure we put on our feet, but too much pressure or unsuitable footwear can cause these ligaments to get damaged or even tear.

 

What causes Fasciitis

According to the experts, fasciitis can be caused by being overweight. The weight of the body put extra pressure on the feet resulting in the ligaments getting inflamed.

 

Other people who are at risk to develop this condition are runners and joggers, which makes sense as their feet take a lot of punishment.

 

Professionals who spent a lot of time on their feet may also develop fasciitis. Folks such as hair stylists, waiting staff, nurses, and blue-collar workers.

 

Finally, people who have very high arches or flat feet are at risk.

 

Since my friend is not overweight, is not a jogger (to the best of my knowledge), does not work in a salon, hospital or factory, I have to assume that her high arches or flat feet are to blame.

 

How to treat Fasciitis

 

The first thing a doctor will give a patient suffering from fasciitis is anti-inflammatory tablets along with the advice to rest the affected foot. Walk as little as possible and certainly don’t run.

 

In severe cases, a doctor may suggest an injection of corticosteroid, directly into the ligament.

 

Physical therapy is an important part of treating fasciitis. A therapist will show the patient how correctly stretch the Achilles tendons along with the plantar fascia.

 

Pain Management

 

Along with pain tablets and anti-inflammatory pills, a patient can wear something called a fasciitis brace. Not only will such a brace speed up the recovery time but it will ease the pain when walking.

 

To avoid further fasciitis episodes ... give the stilettos or ballerina slippers a miss and wear proper shoes with sufficient heel and arch support.

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Day 57: How to spot a scam

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 57: How to spot a scam

There are very few people on earth who wouldn’t like a little extra money. Students to pay their tuition fees, the unemployed to have some income, those who are underpaid to earn a little extra, and seniors who want to supplement their income.

Scammers know this and come up with a variety of ways how to put money in your pocket. Usually, it requires registering with a site, doing little jobs, or doing absolutely nothing, and see the money come rolling in. Unfortunately, after all the time and effort you put into registering, you’ll never see one cent.

The latest scam is http://fixwork.online/index.php

The site requires a call name, your address, email address and a name to which you would like your cheques to be made out to. After registration members are provided with a unique code which they are required to post on social media sites. For every hit their unique link gets they get paid $10. Once they reach $300 they can request payment.

Sounds legit, right? Unfortunately, if you stop to think about it for a second, it’s a scam. Who is going to pay you $10 for simply posting a link to a website? Nobody. If you want to earn money, you have to work for it, as simple as that. Something for nothing should send red flags wagging. Or, if something is too good to be true, it usually is.

A sure way to find out if a ‘job offer’ is legit or not, is to simply Google the name of the organization. It’s what I did and I found the following info here:

https://benjisdad.com/is-fixwork-online-a-scam-review

as well as a very helpful video on YouTube here:

That’s the thing with scams, you’re never the first one to fall for it, someone’s been there before you. Some keep quiet about their experience, others post reviews to warn others. Unfortunately, as soon as one scam is exposed, another one pops up. So stay alert and learn how to spot a scam.

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Day 56: Why Use the Plus Sign When Searching the Internet

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 56: Why Use the Plus Sign When Searching the Internet

With the arrival of the Internet, the world is your oyster.  Unfortunately, it’s not just your oyster, it’s anybody’s and with a pearl of information, you find a whole lot of junk.  Along with reputable companies, advertisers, spammers, bloggers, and other Internet users all vie for your attention.  If you’ve heard of the plus sign and you’re wondering, why use the plus sign searching the Internet, your life is about to become a whole lot easier.

The problem

If you’ve never used the plus sign when searching the Internet, you probably shake your head in frustration wading through pages and pages of useless information.  You know what you want, you formulated your request in your favorite search engine, but you still have to put up with bogus sites, websites with misleading ads, link farms and false listings.

The solution

Next time when you use a search engine, start your search with the plus sign (+).  As an experiment, say that you’re looking for information on owls.  Type “owls” in the search engine and you’ll be presented with 72 million listings.  Now type “+owls” in the search engine and you’ll only get 71,000 listings.  The plus sign removes all the rig raff.

What does the plus sign do?

The plus sign removes (almost) all undesirable info from your search.  The plus sign tells the search engine that whatever you’re looking for has to include the word that you specified.  If you’re looking for owls, the search engine will only bring up information on those birds and will ignore pages that link themselves to info about owls.

Broaden your search

In addition to the plus sign, try broadening your search for a particular item.  For instance, if you’re looking for sugar-free drinks, don’t type just drinks in the search engine. Typing “+drinks” produces about 8,660 results, while “+sugar free drinks” generates only 2,300 results.  Try to be as specific as possible.

Where it goes wrong

Clever advertisers know that subjects such as “love”, “employment”, “pets” and “cars” are hot topics.  They link their marketing pages to those popular sites and as a result, you get flooded with millions of search results.  Fortunately, a few search engines are on to those advertisers and eliminate their ads automatically.  Still, it doesn’t take long to type a plus sign before the word or term you are searching for, letting the search engine know that you are not willing to put up with useless pages.

When it gets worse

You might find that, at certain times of the year, you get presented with more and more junk pages while looking for valuable information.  The problem is obvious, annual celebrations such as Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother and Father’s Day bring on a stream of advertisers all trying to lure you to their sites.  

Wonder no longer about why use the plus sign searching the Internet, try it, you’ll be pleasantly surprised and save a whole lot of time finding what you’re looking for.

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Day 55: Children and Electronics

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 55: Children and Electronics

A few days ago, I was on a bus in downtown Toronto when a woman with an enormous stroller came on board. I found this annoying, to say the least. Strollers take up a lot of space on a bus and are a danger to passengers. It’s bad enough that these strollers are allowed on a bus, but in my opinion, should be banned during peak hours. Bicycles are not allowed, so why strollers …

To further my annoyance, the toddler in the stroller was watching a video game on an iPhone. When a call came in the mother took the phone away from the toddler to answer it. The kid immediately started screaming and thrashing about.

I wasn’t the only one who sat and stared at this kid and his mother. He couldn't even walk or talk and already his entertainment came from a cell phone!

Then yesterday I noticed a picture on Facebook. A ten-year-old was holding a tablet, a three-year-old was busy with an iPhone, and dad was asleep next to a baby. There you have it readers, today’s modern family. 

Is this what today's parents are like? They don't buy toys for their kids anymore, they don't play with their children anymore, they shove an electronic device in their hands to keep them quiet.

If I find it annoying, the experts are of the opinion that cellphones at a young age can cause damage to these young bodies.

The rate of MWR absorption is higher in children than adults because their brain tissues are more absorbent, their skulls are thinner, and their relative size is smaller. Fetuses are particularly vulnerable because MWR exposure can lead to degeneration of the protective sheath that surrounds brain neurons, they report.

Multiple studies have shown that children absorb more MWR than adults. One found that that the brain tissue of children absorbed about two times more MWR than that of adults, and other studies have reported that the bone marrow of children absorbs 10 times more MWR than that of adults.

https://www.webmd.com/children/news/20140819/children-cell-phones#1

Another article talks about the damage cellphones have on children’s eyes. https://tinyurl.com/zeomtm2

Other than the possibility of causing harm I can only wonder how these kids will grow up. Experts all agree that regular toys benefit children in a number of ways. Take those toys away and what will happen? Will a lack of physical toys influence their motor skills? 

https://www.howtolearn.com/2013/10/developmental-benefits-of-toys-for-young-children/

Soft toys teach children sensitivity. Stuffed toys may develop a love for animals. Blocks can lead to a love for building things. Combing a doll's hair might produce a stylist or beautician. And as the child grows up, will he or she develop a love for books and in the process learn how to write with correct spelling and grammar? Will they have any kind of an imagination?

While most people enjoy playing computer games, how young is too young to play these games?

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Day 54: Discrimination – Old vs. Young

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 54: Discrimination – Old vs. Young

An HR manager recently posted a message that he had hired a woman over 50 and had taken quite a bit of heat for it from the younger generation. There were a number of comments, I put in my two cents and commended him for his decision. I added that giving the choice between a 25-year-old and a 50-year-old, I would pick the 50-year-old every time.

Most young girls marry, start a family and go on maternity leave several times. Next, the kids get sick and mom has to take time off to look after them. With a 50-year-old, you avoid all that. Women that age are not only experienced, they have grown up children.

Well, when I said as much, I was severely criticized and insulted. It was even said that I discriminated against my own kind. Maybe that’s true, but I’m no stranger to discrimination myself. Over the years I’ve been discriminated against for being too tall, too thin, too young, too old, being from a foreign country, speaking with an accent … you name it, it’s been done.

If I’m partial to older women vs. the younger generation it has a reason, several reasons actually.

Take Tina for instance. Tina’s parents spent close to $250,000 on their daughter’s law school education. She had a brilliant mind, did her articling in one of the top law firms in the city, with a firm job offer after graduation. Six months before she graduated she met a man and married him. A month before graduation she announced she was pregnant and moving to Chicago. Her parents begged her to finish her education. She could practice law in Chicago after the baby was born. But no, Tina didn’t want to listen, she wanted to be a full-time mom. Today she has two children, is divorced and her parents are still paying off her student loans.

Then there’s Betty. Betty is an administrative assistant in a bank. Shortly after she started her job she got pregnant and went on a year’s maternity leave. When she came back she back she announced she was pregnant again and took off for another year of maternity leave. When she came back to work she was already pregnant for the third time and off she went again.

Next up there’s Yasmine. Yasmine also works for a bank, has four children and shows no signs of stopping. Her children range from age 6 to 11. All four go to school and after school they are looked after by their elderly and disabled grandparents. One is blind the other in a wheelchair. When Yasmine comes home from work, she picks up her kids and promptly kicks them out. In spring and summer, they play (unsupervised) in the condo building’s garden, in fall and winter they are banished to the corridor. When it’s time to eat she calls them in and after supper sends them to bed. When asked why the kids have to go to bed so early she openly states that she can’t stand having them around. Well, if that’s the case, why then have four children?

Are there other examples of young people acting irresponsibly? Yes, tons of them, but I think you get the idea. No need to go on and on.

Now women over the age of 50, on the other hand, are a whole different kettle of fish. When they get hired, an organization knows it’s getting value for money. Women who re-enter the job market at that age are either widowed or divorced and need the job for the money. The chances of an older woman quitting because she’s getting married are slim to none, and the chances of her getting pregnant and going on maternity leave are zero.

Other benefits of hiring older women are that they will show up on time, every time. They are experienced, they know what they’re doing, and take pride in their performance.

So, if you want to say that I discriminate against young people, go ahead. My conscience is clear. 

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