In Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism there is a letter that Nichiren wrote to one of his followers that is titled "Winter Turns to Spring". It is a letter he wrote to Myoichi, a recent widow with children in order to encourage her. It really is such a beautiful letter but the reason I share it is just because we all need that little reminder that winter without fail turns to spring.

I lifted this off unzipped.net. Looks like I'll have to read this blog some more.

Thank you so much for fixing my mess of a computer last night. I really thought that I was going to lose almost all of my digital photo files and that would have made me so sad. I am sorry you were so allergic to my rabbit dandered computer. I didn't even think of that happening and am so happy that I at least spent the time carefully vacuuming out the inside because I can't even imagine what you would be like if I didn't. I always thought you would be able to come over to my house as long as you didn't go in the rabbit room but now I know that you really never could come over. Anyways, I am most greatful. Thanks again!

Here you go (e:leetee) and (e:ladycroft). I'm glad you both enjoyed it. For any of you who may want to make this to serve to veggies make sure that you check the refried bean ingredients as they often have animal fat in them. Usually the fat free ones are OK. Recipe from

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

* 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
* 1 cup sour cream
* 2 (16 ounce) cans refried beans
* 1/2 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
* 5 drops hot pepper sauce
* 2 tablespoons dried parsley
* 1/4 cup chopped green onions
* 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese
* 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Monterey Jack cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, blend the cream cheese and sour cream. Mix in the refried beans, taco seasoning, hot pepper sauce, parsley, green onions, 1/2 the Cheddar cheese and 1/2 the Monterey Jack cheese. Transfer the mixture to an 8x12 inch baking dish. Top with remaining Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses.
3. Bake in the preheated oven 20 to 30 minutes, until cheese is slightly browned.

My roommate bought these tomatoes from the Lexington CO-OP the other day. I just noticed that the sticker says H2GRO on it which I have previously posted about. Anyways, these tomatoes are grown in a green house that Waste Management converts methane gas from their dump site into electricity to power it. My main problem with this is that the green house is adjacent to where all the radioactive material from the Manhattan Project is being stored as well as where all the toxic chemicals of the North East region are disposed of by Chemical Waste Management. The only reason I really ever found out about it was from when I drove around the site and fell upon it. I felt so sick after being around these dump sites that I can assure anyone that these are not tomatoes that should be consumed. Here is the link to my journal where I take a tour of the Lake Ontario Ordinance Works site in Ransomville NY.

So I know some people at the CO-OP and am definitely going to bring this to their attention. Seriously people, DON'T buy these tomatoes!

Thankfully Artvoice has been keeping up on this continuously developing story. They haven't ever made mention of these tomatoes as far as I know. Here is their latest story.

Meanwhile, In Lewiston: Dangerously High Radiation Levels
    
by Geoff Kelly & Louis Ricciuti
    

Chemical Waste Management proudly reveals dangerously high radiation levels

On the Friday after Christmas, whence all news stories go to die, Chemical Waste Management released the results of a radiation survey of its landfill in the Town of Lewiston.

The survey was performed by the URS Corporation, and CWM spokesperson Lori Caso proudly claimed that no significant hotspots had been detected: More than four million samples were taken and evaluated, and 99.85 percent of the samples had registered less than 16,000 counts per minute, which is the self-determined standard CWM uses to decide whether a spot warrants further investigation or remediation.

Doing the math, that means more than 4,000 samples registered above 16,000 counts per minute.

And in any case, 16,000 counts per minute is quite high-640 times what most health physicists would consider a normal level of radioactivity. It's even high by landfill standards: A few years ago, at the BFI-Allied (previously CECOS) landfill on Pine Avenue in Niagara Falls, the maximum acceptable radiation level was set at 1,000 counts per minute. That standard was later raised by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to accommodate "asphalt fill" materials from a Porter Road repaving project that set off BFI-Allied's radiation detection gate alarms at 1,500 counts per minute.

In 2002, defense contractor SAIC performed a radiation survey of the Lewiston Porter Central School District Campus, not far from CWM. SAIC used a standard of 8,000 counts per minute to determine whether a hotspot warranted further investigation. SAIC found levels ranging between 7,000 to 13,000 counts per minute of radioactive emanation, with an anomalous "rock" found on the property behind the elementary school that registered at 38,222 counts per minute. Health physicist Dr. Rosalie Bertell said of the Lew-Port findings, "Rather than calming the public, this should cause outrage."

To put CWM's 16,000 counts per minute in context, we called Tedd Weyman of Toronto's Uranium Medical Research Center. Weyman said "normal" radiation levels in Toronto are 35 to 45 counts per minute. In Baghdad, which the US military has contaminated with depleted uranium munitions, radiation levels range from 25,000 to 75,000 counts per minute.

"What's being found around the schools at Lewiston Porter is, from a scientific perspective, extreme, shocking, and profound," Weyman said. "These rates are higher than what is allowed at any nuclear facility."

He added, "This is a catastrophically serious situation and a human health crisis. These rates are against the law."

-geoff kelly & louis ricciuti

Suze you are my hero. You used to live in a van and now you are rich and famous and wear designer space outfits. I am on page 207 of your book for the Young Fabulous and Broke and I just love you for helping people in humanistic terms. As you always say Suze, people first, then money, then things.






Thanks (e:mike) for the book. I love it! BTW, I like to say her name in a Spanish accent as demonstrated below.

Who is calling me from this number? I really had no idea what she was saying and this same number called me last night at 3am! That's right 3am! I didn't answer it because I really didn't know who the hell would be calling from such a number at such a time but they left a voicemaiil which really was just them hanging up. So now they call me at 10:12pm and I have no idea what they are saying. I googled the number and I came up with giberish numbers and this website for escort advertising called rare-escorts.com

Then I also got a call earlier from "Verizon Wireless". The number was 1-800-600-5092 and her name was Heather. I totally didn't understand why she was calling me but she wanted me to authorize something which seemed very vague and I just said please send it to me in writing. So she says she can't do that and pleads with me to do it on the phone right there or I wouldn't ever be able to get some feature which happened to be the same cost as my current plan. Again, I repeated to her that it wasn't a good time and I couldn't deal with it right now and asked if I could call back at another time and she gave me the number. I am so suspicious of people in general but this seemed shady. So I ended up googling the number and found this from callercompalints.com.

Caller Complaints
N
Filed by N at 1/5/2009 1:01:04 PM
Caller Type: Unknown
Phone Number Report: this number is unknown and caller never leaves a message..I haven't picked up the calls, as they come duing week days and on my cell phone...ridiculous, what are these calls for?





K
Filed by K at 1/2/2009 2:59:36 PM
Caller Type: Unknown
Phone Number Report: This number shows up as unknown ..They don't leave message ..ANNOYING





Heather
Filed by Heather at 1/2/2009 1:21:26 PM
Caller Type: Unknown
Phone Number Report: The number was 800-600-5092. They did not leave a message, and I do not know who this number belongs to.





phil
Filed by phil at 12/31/2008 8:34:34 AM
Caller Type: Unknown
Phone Number Report: returned call. no one answers. annoying...





Filed at 12/30/2008 9:37:59 AM
Caller Type: Unknown
Phone Number Report: call recieved but caller hung up during my recorded message went out to caller.





Filed at 12/29/2008 2:14:30 PM
Caller Type: Telemarketer
Phone Number Report: calls my number repeatedly without leaving a message.





iz
Filed by iz at 12/27/2008 3:09:48 PM
Caller Type: Unknown
Phone Number Report: called my personell cell. no permision - no information





yot
Filed by yot at 12/22/2008 6:03:45 PM
Caller Type: Unknown
Phone Number Report: called my cellphone and left no message.





AD
Filed by AD at 12/22/2008 2:23:50 PM
Caller Type: Unknown
Phone Number Report: called and left no message. when i returned the call there was no voicemail to find out the caller's name/business.





mbn
Filed by mbn at 12/22/2008 1:15:05 PM
Caller Type: Unknown
Phone Number Report: cALLING AD HANGING UP WITH NO MESSAGE!!

Why do I get the most bizarre calls? This one time this lady would call me ever single day and say "oH i sorry wong number." When I went away for four months and came back home they were still calling the number every day. My phone was out of service for four months!

The NFTA did end up raising the fares on the bus to $1.75 like they said they would. Today I was so exhausted after working that I took the bus anyways even though I usually walk or take bike. I was just going from Summer to Auburn so it felt like such a rip off. I can't believe taking the bus is treated as a luxury in this city.

NFTA Chairman Gregory Stamm said, "Effective January, were only putting in a 25 cent increase." I like how he says "only" 25 cents. How incredibly insensitive is to say that? It does make a big difference, especially when they intend on increasing it another 25 cents in July. I know sacrifices have to be made but why does it have to be poor people that have to suffer the most? I wonder how much money Gregory Stamm makes to say it is only 25 cents?

I think this is what they call being nickeled and dimed except this time we are being quartered.

Why do people clip their nails at the work place? EWWW There are at least two people here that do it. I was complaining to a friend of mine about it and then she just wrote me and said that someone was doing it in her office after I wrote her about it.

Today I got a call from a woman and I nearly started crying for her after she hung up. Her husband died very recently and she lost their health insurance coverage because she couldn't pay the $900 premiums for her and her children. She applied for medicaid/family health plus but was told that the social security check she gets from his death is too much to qualify. So she smokes three packs a day because she is so depressed but can't really afford it and she is all her kids have so she wants to quit.

I hope that she can.

Good Luck (e:jim). Let me know if you need any help.