Sinus infections and allergies

An acquaintance is suffering from allergies and sinus infections, and I wanted to scream at them to change their eating habits. It happens to millions every year, and it used to happen to me. The weather changes; the flowers bloom and their heads swell to twice their normal dimensions. It would happen to me, too. To the extent that I am sure that sooner or later, I would have died either in the spring or the fall due, at least in part, to my conflicted breathing situation. The ironic part is that those are my favorite seasons, and I had come to dread them.

If you are suffering now from some kind of seasonal health issues, you don't have to. Of course see a physician for sinus infections. They are nasty. And then do this.

• Stop taking milk, yoghurt, ice-cream and other dairy products
  
  
  
• Switch from white bread to wholemeal and also begin to take brown rice, wholemeal noodles and other wholemeal products
  
  
  
• Eliminate red meat
  
  
  
• Eliminate white sugar and products containing sugar
  
  
  
• Eat lots more vegetables and fruits
• Eat less quantity overall all the time
• Eat better quality food
  

 Watch the pounds disappear, and your health return. It may take a year to notice any results, and it is especially important to continue these eating habits when you are not being dogged by these problems. Like in the summer and the dead of winter. It is tempting to think that the problems have subsided, when really they are getting their energy to reemerge from the food you build your body with in the problem-free times.

Ageing Japan's fertility rate up but population falls | Reuters

Japan's fertility rate up by 0.03 points, below the estimated 2.07 needed to keep the population at current levels. There were 51,300 more deaths than births.

Can't help but think this is a trend that the whole world should be reflecting, lowering human impact on an already over-burdened earth. Current economic dependencies on ever-increasing levels of consumption of cheap junk have to change to quality, long-lasting necessities.


There's lots of gloom and doom reportage here, like the phrase, "The low birth rate threatens to squeeze the economy by shrinking the labour force, which could weigh in on its GDP and leave fewer workers to support a growing number of pensioners." The paradigm here is that we need more and more workers churning out more and more crap to support old people. Why not fewer, more highly skilled workers turning out quality goods, and earning more to support pensioners. Either one is equally imaginable, but the former is just easier to accomplish. Business as usual laziness will accomplish that.


Ageing Japan's fertility rate up but population falls | Reuters

chicken coop door from outside

chicken coop door from outside
Originally uploaded by touzanka

This is a shot of the front door that will lead to the fenced-in outdoor area where the chickens can move around outside. All of this will need to be weather proofed and painted nicely. My son has promised to do the art work.

chicken coop roof

chicken coop roof
Originally uploaded by touzanka

Another shot of the roof of the coop.

chicken coop door from inside

chicken coop door from inside
Originally uploaded by touzanka

This is a shot of the door from the inside. I may need to reinforce the top of the door later.

chicken coop side

chicken coop side
Originally uploaded by touzanka

I used this wire mesh on the sides to keep the birds cooler on hot summer nights. In the winter I'll cover those over with an opaque plastic sheet. You can also see the plastic roof that I put on the top.