Wednesday, February 29

Aviation Exploration


Working at an aviation museum, I've noticed that aviation is one of those subjects that people often don't know much about and don't know where to start learning about! 

Whether you've got a child obsessed with airplanes or a friend flying (full sized or RCs) as a hobby, trying to understand enough to carry on a conversation - let alone encourage their enthusiasm - can feel overwhelming. So when someone asked me recently for ideas on where to start, I thought back to what did (or didn't!) work for me. Here's what I came up with:

1. Air Crash Investigation
As crazy as it sounds, the best introduction I found to aviation fundamental was the National Geographic Channel's Air Crash Investigation series. (Nearly every episode is available free on youtube.) Each episode recreates the crash of a real airplane (usually commercial airliners) and walks viewers through the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) investigation that follows, exploring the whats, hows and whys of the crash. Intentionally designed for lay people, it defines all the key terms and provides easy to understand computer models to show you how the forces of lift, thrust - and everything else - work in aviation. It's fun, can be watched in short chunks of time and will teach you a lot! (While you're there, look up the movie One Six Right - it's excellent!)

2. Aviation Themed Books
I'm a reader, so my first response when I want to learn about something is almost always to head for the library. I found that aviation textbooks didn't help me much - it's hard to keep everything straight if you're not actively applying it. But books about aviators and aviation were riveting and I picked up a lot along the way. Fortunately, you can find aviation books written for every age and reading level, as well as many in audio-book format. Here are two of my favorite titles to get you started:
The Candy Bomber by Andrei Cherny
Neptune's Inferno by James D. Hornfischer
3. Magazines/ Mailing Lists
Most major aviation groups have free websites, blogs and/or newsletters that 
are treasure troves of information. I recommend starting with AOPA and EAA. If you happen to live near one of the major annual aviation events (Sun & Fun or Oshkosh) consider heading over for the day for a little high-intensity immersion!  
4. Ask the Obsessed... I Mean, um, Professionals.
It's rare to find an aviator who won't gladly talk at length about their passion for the sky! Any aviation museum or small, local airport will have people more than happy to answer even the most novice questions and to share their experience. Call your local hobby shop or toy store and inquire about local RC plane groups as well - they're equally enthusiastic and very knowledgeable!

5. CAP or ROTC
If you try a few of the previous tips and think this aviation thing might really be for you, find out if your area has a Civil Air Patrol unit or an Air Force ROTC program. Although both will be a more significant time commitment, they offer a slew of benefits you won't find elsewhere - including free or heavily subsidized flight training and instruction! 

Have you been bitten by the aviation bug?
 

Tuesday, February 28

Smiles for Book Lovers

Just for fun today... some great book/ reading related smiles. (Pictures found on Pinterest.)





 
My Baby Loves a Bunch of Authors by Moxy Fruvous :)

Monday, February 27

Menu Idea Monday

If you're like me, you know the experience of going out to eat, looking at the menu and thinking "I could totally make all of this at home!"

Today's recipe is exactly that kind of dish - Butter and Garlic Shrimp Penne from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. (As always, the picture is from the original site, not mine.)

Opinion: 

This smelled fantastic while it was cooking and came together pretty easily. It called for a couple ingredients I don't always keep around, but nothing weird or hard to stock if you decide you love it and want to make it often. It was decidedly company-worthy and satisfying.

My Modifications:

Although I made it as instructed, there are a couple things I'll do differently next time.

(1) Use more roux - I needed at least twice as much flour as was called for to thicken the amount of sauce I ended up with. Not a big deal, but worth knowing ahead of time.


(2) Don't cook the pasta until everything else is almost done.


(3) I used pre-cooked shrimp, and since I pulled it straight out of the freezer I ended up with extra water in the sauce as it thawed and started to cook. Next time I'll pre-thaw it.


Dietary Mod Friendly?

This gets high marks for adaptability; gluten free pasta and cornstarch roux instead of flour and you've got a yummy, impressive GF dish. There's not much else in here to spark dietary concerns, so dig in!

Saturday, February 25

Tips for Home Sellers

Hunting for a house to make a home is one of those activities than can quickly consume huge amounts of physical, mental and emotional energy. (It's no picnic for the sellers, either.)

As a house hunter, who's getting lots of exposure to real estate listings and agents, I'd like to offer a few quick tips to home sellers everywhere.

1. Digital Pictures Are Free - Take (and Post) Lots. Everybody is busy, and no one wants to waste their time or someone else's. Post lots of pictures so that whatever a given buyer's criteria, they have what they need to make an informed assessment about your property. All of it. You may consider your lovely yard a selling point, but I may care primarily about the kitchen - you can't know that, so do us both a favor and cover everything. Also, please keep in mind that if I don't see pictures of something, I'm probably going to assume you're hiding something and bump you to the bottom of my list.

2. Declutter. Please! Without fail, the first thing they do on the HGTV show Unsellables is declutter; there's a reason for that! I will gladly bring my imagination and elbow grease; I can revision worn floors and crazy paint colors. That said, I'd still really appreciate it if you took the dead turkeys and 18 sets of antlers off the walls. Also, too much junk or furniture cluttering up a space suggests to wary home buyers that maybe you're not much on cleaning and maintenance - not the message you want to send!

3. Taxes Matter. When pricing your house, take the tax figures into account. Factors like mortgage insurance and taxes drive up the actual cost of monthly mortgage payments; while this is not your fault, it can decidedly impact your ability to sell. Offer as much accurate tax information on your listing site as you can -it will save everyone time and pre-screen potential buyers so you only work with ones who can legitimately afford to buy your home.

4. A Lower Price is More Attractive Than Personalized Upgrades. Please don't sink money into wall to wall carpeting or granite counter tops and then expect top dollar in return. Some improvements (like a new roof or good windows) are universally attractive. But most buyers prefer a lower sale price and money left over in their budget to devote to their priorities than a higher price with upgrades that may or may not be to their taste or address their biggest concerns.

5. Double Check Your Listing for Errors.. and Be Honest. When I run into a listing where the house size is more square footage than the lot size, it's a pretty clear tip-off that something got mis-keyed. It happens. But it can hurt you! Buyers often use house or lot size as search criteria - if yours are listed wrong, they won't pop up for consideration! And please, be honest. It's okay to have a modestly sized deck or a basement that isn't readily transformable into another bedroom. Pretending that a space is bigger or other than it really is just hurts your credibility and makes me less likely to believe the other facts in your listing. Besides, it's not like we won't find out!

Friday, February 24

Larabar Giveaway

Do you like Larabars?

Modern Mrs. Darcy is giving away a whole case (variety pack) on her website! All you have to do to enter the drawing is leave a comment on her page by 10 pm this Sunday night!

Okay... that's all. No- strings-attached giveaways make me smile and I wanted to share. Good luck!

(Psst... it's probably bad form to include this, but if you don't win go check out Chocolate Covered Katie's website - she has awesome, simple make-your-own Larabar copycat recipes! And decidedly the best healthy, allergen-free dessert collection I've ever seen. Yum! )

Wednesday, February 22

Vacationing Soon? Don't Mind The Drug War...

I ran across a fantastic and funny article written by Joe Queenan in last weekend's Wall Street Journal and wanted to share.

First query in vacation planning: Are we likely to be murdered while visiting the country in question.

Read the rest here.

Monday, February 20

Menu Idea Monday

Today's recipe couldn't be more simple. It has only two ingredients, but it's perfect - Homemade Lara Bars from This Chick Cooks.
 
Opinion: 

This was embarrassingly easy... and eating the whole pan in one sitting would be too! If you didn't pat the mixture into a pan but left it just little balls of cashew and date yummy-ness it would make a great breakfast cereal (no milk required). Although it's super healthy for you, this recipe is unfortunately not particularly cheap so I'm counting it as a valuable but sparingly made treat in my recipe arsenal.


My Modifications:

Zilch. Made as directed.

Dietary Mod Friendly?

It would be pretty hard to modify this, since there's only two ingredients, but unless you're working around a nut allergy there's nothing in here to worry about avoiding!

Friday, February 17

Quick & Cute Fabric Envelopes

The Moda Bakeshop website featured a quick, cute little project this week that I wanted to pass along - Fabric Envelopes!

This is one of the quickest, simplest patterns I've seen for making these and they have tons of uses. Whether you use them to budget money, stash love letters, sort coupons - or anything else - this pattern is a keeper.

Where'd your favorite place to find free patterns? 

Thursday, February 16

Don't Talk to the Police

I was rather floored when I saw this, but I am so glad I did! Each section is about 20 minutes long but PLEASE make the time to watch. They could save your life!


Scary aren't they?


Thank God for the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Americans not afraid to tell the truth!

Wednesday, February 15

The (Un)Conference

One of things that has baffled me over the last year as I have pursued grant writing is the number of conferences the museum world hosts and how incredibly expensive they are. For a non-profit industry funded solely by donations and tax-payer money I'm continuously flabbergasted at how much money people think it's normal or acceptable to pour into short, limited-reach events. No matter how great the content looks, I always decide I have to pass - I simply can't justify the costs in time and money.

Apparently, I'm not the only one feels those limitations - and this year they prompted the great ladies over at (in)Courage to think outside the box! Instead of putting together a huge convention at a beach-side hotel that would have been beyond the reach of so many, they decided to host an (un)conference called (in)RL - in real life.

April 27 & 28 of this year, (in)Courage readers can meet and celebrate community right in their own backyards! Check out the video the (in)Courage gals did to share their vision for an (un)Conference:


Want to know more or get involved? Bookmark the (in)RL page or check out the FAQ page

The Taste of Tomorrow


I recently got my hands on a unique and somewhat odd foodie book: The Taste of Tomorrow.

Solidly humanitarian and an unabashed devotee of bagged salad and pad thai, author Josh Schonwald brings a unique perspective to the discussion of food. He starts with a specific question (what will food look like in 2035) and keeps his lines of investigation narrow, but in- depth (no attempt to discuss dairy, fruit or any any number of other items at all).

Focusing on salad, fish, pseudo-meat and the next big trend in ethnic food, he clearly writes from a market-driven mindset. He's all about what your average (lazy) American will find at their local restaurants and supermarkets and why. His investigation leads him to places not often discussed in foodie books – the labs in Holland where pseudo-meat is being grown in petri dishes, the warehouse sized indoor, inland fish farms where scientists and businessmen try to raise mostly unheard of fish (cobia) that they hope will be the next salmon, and the lettuce fields of California where giant Agra-business companies manipulate GM plants to create the most disease resistant and travel friendly hybrids.

I strongly disagree with most of Mr. Schonwald's conclusions, and I wasn't consistently impressed with his writing. None of his arguments were persuasive, often because his research and logic were clearly lacking. (The golden rice issue being a prime example. If you still think it is the answer to global hunger, you obviously haven't researched the subject very well.)

That said, it was interesting to sneak a peak into the lesser-traveled circles of food production that he selected, and helpful from a whole- foodie standpoint to understand how people think when they're championing GM foods and fake meat as a viable, beautiful future.

Tuesday, February 14

Book Suggester Tool

Most avid readers have a list of books a mile long that they'd like to read if they could just find the time. But sometimes, for one reason or another, we can find ourselves looking for something new.

Maybe you liked a new author or new subject and want to read more in the same vein. Maybe you're a parent or teacher, trying to help a child find books that will engage and excite them.

Whatever you're reason, I found (via Pinterest) a great new tool for you!

It's simple to use: just enter the the title or author of a book you liked. The site will sift through its database of reader favorites and reviews and spit out suggestions for what to read next.

It's not flawless, of course. Punching in Terry Goodkind got me both Piers Anthony (good) and Robert Jordan (not such a fan), among others. The C.H.A.O.S. novels are new enough that they don't appear to be in the system yet. Generally speaking, though, this looks like a fun new tool that could come in quite handy.

How do you find new things to read?

Monday, February 13

Menu Idea Monday

I don't read Glamour Magazine, but the cookbook put out by their editors is full of delectable treats easy enough for even the most novice cooks.

Despite being happily married already, I had to start with their trademark recipe - Engagement Chicken. Check out the full recipe here.

Opinion: 

Simple but profoundly delicious, it was easy to see why it sparked so many engagements! Serve with a salad and rice, and you'll impress anyone. (As a bonus, it makes plenty to have as leftovers the next day.)

My Modifications:

I skipped the sliced lemon and sprinkled herbs you were supposed to use as garnish. I also did without the rack in the roasting pan. Otherwise, it was made as directed.

Dietary Mod Friendly?

There's not a lot in here to complicate one's diet - no sugar, no gluten, no nuts, no dairy - this shouldn't take any mods at all to be everyone friendly! 

Friday, February 10

Construction Companies Need Pinterest

I was reading a post at The Inspired Room the other day and looking at all the gorgeous pictures Melissa had posted from Pinterest that she uses as style ideas.

It occurred to me, not for the first time, that it isn't really housewives, designers and DIY-ers who need to be browsing Pinterest - it's construction companies and property flippers! There are houses of every shape, size and style saved on Pinterest style boards but they all seem to share a few significant features. Ironically, none of those features are typically within the scope of DIY-ers and designers - they are all things that should be factored into a house from Day One.

Here are my pointers for construction companies (or anyone else) looking to build/ renovate properties that will get snapped up and held onto fiercely:

1. Big Windows - and lots of them!
You cannot miss the fact that nearly all the rooms drooled over and tacked up for inspiration have huge (and/or multiple) windows through which natural light floods into a room. Nothing you do ever really compensates for the cave-like gloom that results from a lack of natural light.

Modern technology has made available windows appropriate for every climate, location and style, so let's start paying attention to light patterns and weather trends. Sunlight has antiseptic and anti-depressive properties that are free for the taking - so let's see more windows!


2. Entry ways and mudrooms - they're not optional.
If you're ever lived in a house lacking a proper entryway, you know how seriously inconvenient it is to deal with every day. There's no excuse for houses anywhere to not have a functional entryway.

It doesn't have to be huge or glamorous, but main entries to a house need some kind of functional space for organizing shoes, purses, backpacks, dog leashes, umbrellas, keys - the paraphernalia of every day life. Opening directly into the living room? Postage stamp sized tile squares and tiny closets that end up behind the open front door? Unacceptable.

3. The era of wall to wall carpeting has passed. 
An overwhelming number of homeowners favor wood, tile and other durable, flexible surfaces for the main flooring in their homes. Between a rise in allergies to dust, pet dander and other debris easily trapped in carpets and the need for spaces to often pull double duty (a home office tucked into a family/ guest room, for example), families are looking for functional, easily updated options like bare floors and area rugs. Start with hard wood and real tile and you can't go wrong.

4. Storage solutions are a must.
Despite trends toward simplification and anti-consumerism, modern families have more STUFF than any previous generation. Even great, important stuff - bikes, sports equipment, healthy food, books - takes up space! Homeowners are endlessly creative when it comes to carving out spaces to store things, but a little forethought and provision in the building process for easy storage would go a long way. (I've never heard of anyone being disappointed by too much storage, have you?)


What would you like to see home designers/flippers take into account?

Thursday, February 9

Dependents

I don't know where this originated, but it was in an email I received. I enjoyed it so much I thought I'd share. :)

They sent my Tax Return back AGAIN because of my response to the question: "List all dependents?"

I replied -

"12 million illegal immigrants;
"3 million crack heads;
"42 million unemployable people on food stamps,
"2 million criminals in over 243 prisons;
"Half of Mexico; and
"535 fools in the U.S. House and Senate.”;

Apparently this was not an acceptable answer.

Wednesday, February 8

Clean Living & Prepping Resources

One of the things people often find when they start to weed chemical laden products and unhealthy food from their lives is that local grocery and big box stores quickly become unfriendly places to shop.

Even if your local store carries clean food and green products, the selection is usually limited and the prices can be prohibitive. Those with an eye towards preparedness also tend to be frustrated by the flimsy, bulky or otherwise unhelpful packaging.

Not surprisingly, then, the most common questions on healthy eating websites revolve around where to find real food and how to afford it. 

While there are many places to source from, I've found that the search doesn't end once you've found a few that work. The more you know, it seems, the more you learn. I've just recently come across two new resources that I'd like to share. If you're looking to buy clean or buy in bulk you'll love these!

Vitacost is a website I found via Modern Mrs. Darcy. Featuring a huge selection of food, cleaning products, dietary supplements and more for half what they cost in my local grocery store (if they're even available), Vitacost consistently runs coupons and specials that can make for amazing deals. I bought a six months supply of my favorite all- natural dish soap, a year's supply of Mrs. Meyer's household cleaner (as a concentrate which is a huge space saver) and a pack of the best sponges I've ever used. Total cost with shipping after coupon? $12. Although you need to know your prices (some of the nutritional supplements cost the same as they did on other websites), this can be an incredible money saver. Even the standard shipping was fast - I had my product in less than four days. I will definitely be ordering from them again.

Hillcrest Foods is a bakery distributor with an extensive catalog that serves multiple states across the northeast. Bulk wheat, oats, honey and other staples can be picked up straight from their warehouses for excellent prices. They carry a wide range of products including nuts, cheese and dairy as well. Their entire catalog can be down loaded from their website and pricing is available by phone or email. They were friendly, professional and clean and I am delighted to have found them. Anyone who's ever bought 50# of honey from online distributors can appreciate the huge cost savings in shipping charges alone! Tip: Hillcrest has a whole section of gluten free foods! Par-baked, unbaked, bulk - if you're cringing at the costs of buying gluten free food locally or worried about what you'd do if your local supply got cut off in an emergency, check out their offerings.

Not in the northeast?  Every corner of the country has bakery distributors. It might take a couple tries to find a good one, but keep your eyes and ears open and don't be afraid to ask around. The results can be well worth the effort!






Monday, February 6

Menu Idea Monday


Today, I offer you an amazing deal: two delectable recipes in one! First up: Apple Cider Floats from Folk. Simple but indulgent - an ingenius layering of (good quality) vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce and hot apple cider. Yum!





As a bonus, I bring you the devastatingly awesome Easy Caramel Sauce recipe from The Pioneer Woman. I have no idea how this recipe didn't get picked for her cookbook, but it has become a permanent fixture in mine!

(As usual, pictures were borrowed from the sites offering the full recipes. I take no credit for them.)


Opinion: 

These floats were a great treat for a cold night! Frothy and sweet, but not over-the-top. I'm not usually a huge caramel fan, but this sauce is to die for! Do not make more than you need, or it will call to you from the fridge, tempting you endlessly to just pick up a spoon and eat it straight. Seriously.  

My Modifications:

I used whole raw milk instead of the half & half to make the caramel sauce. Everything else I made to spec.



Dietary Mod Friendly?

There aren't a lot of ingredients here, and most are pretty forgiving. There are no nuts, soy or gluten, and the dairy could be swapped out for your favorite substitute without harm.

Probably the best part is that the caramel sauce is made with brown sugar, so if you subbed Splenda brown sugar you could have a gourmet sugar-free caramel sauce!

Saturday, February 4

Ambushed by Planned Parenthood


I am no fan of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, but I was disgusted by the recent news that it has been ambushed by the politically savvy and ethically dessicated Planned Parenthood.

It has long been my opinion that Komen spends much of their money unwisely and supports treatments/ policies not borne out as genuinely helpful by medical science. It's also been pretty clear that it had it's heart in the right place... it just didn't know any better.

I applaud the directors at Komen for recently taking the fiscally and ethically responsible step to revise their grant making policies. To better ensure that they are using their power to help women to the best of their ability, they instated one new criteria: barring agencies currently under investigation by local, state or federal authorities from receiving grant money. 


That should strike any listener as a universally sound policy.

Planned Parenthood, who stood to receive nearly $700,000 from Komen until being disqualified by the new policy, disagreed. Instead of looking for other ways to partner with Komen, PP went on the offensive - launching a brutal viral campaign slamming and slandering their former funder for selling out women to further their political aspirations.

Now I don't know about you, but when I think of government, fiscal responsibility isn't exactly what comes to mind. So without doing some serious twisting of the facts (which they are, have and seem content to continue doing), PP has no case.

Unfortunately, it's far too late for beleaguered Komen to repair the damage done in the maelstrom of PP's smear campaign. Many feminists and liberals, outraged by the supposed insult to their reproductive rights are refusing to listen or look at the facts, clinging instead to their wronged and indignant PP.

Though I've no wish to heap insult on injury, I cannot help but note that this is a crucial case study on choosing one's friends carefully - personally and professionally. Just because someone could help you in working towards a goal does not mean it is wise to partner with them. The unscrupulous and ethically eroded will not hesitate to devour their "friends" as quickly as they do their enemies should such a "friend" cease to be useful.

I hope that other non-profits, organizations and individuals will see clearly the message so that so many angry, propaganda-fed women are not. It's time to reevaluate our partnerships and exchange bonds with wolves in sheep's clothing for new bridges to non-profits founded on integrity, compassion and sound business practices. Whether you're partnering at a corporate level or donating on a personal level, you are responsible for who you support and what they wreak- for better or worse - so be very sure you know who you're dealing with!

Update: Ugh! Shame on you Komen for giving in to PP's treachery and promising to continue funding them! They now not only won this round through their nastiness, they will end up with double the money they would otherwise have had since their little "poor us" pity campaign brought in over $600,000!! It wasn't bad enough to be blindsided? You had to be cowed and made a mockery of as well?

Friday, February 3

Casinos, Strip Clubs & Welfare Money

I nearly laughed out loud yesterday at the gym when the scroll across the bottom of the news screen informed me that the House was voting on a bill to prevent welfare money from being spent in casinos and strip clubs. Not because the idea was amusing - it's quite appalling that it's even possible for people to use welfare funds for such purposes - but because some representatives were against the measure!


 Clearly, I'm just an ignorant middle class rube, but I can't understand how any reasonable individual finds it wrong to insist that money intended for the essential support of a family - food, clothing, shelter - be spent for those legitimate purposes instead of squandered at a strip club, casino or liquor store.



In the wake of several nation-wide exposes on the rampant nature of the problem and America's burgeoning debt, it seems self-explanatory to institute simple, logical changes (which cost nothing to put into effect, incidentally) to ensure that money intended for the welfare of the struggling be put to good use.

Ironically, the same people who scream that this is just another racially motivated bashing of the lower class are the very same ones who would be railing against the government for neglect and dereliction of duty if it were a member of government spending money intended for poor children on strippers and booze.

(Was anyone else annoyed that the talking heads were all about "dead beat dads" but no one said a peep about the women with five kids all by different fathers, living solely on welfare who somehow still have enough money to keep their acrylic finger- and toenails flawless filled and airbrushed?)

It seems to me, however, that if the Senate can't bring themselves to get on board with the House's approach, we can always return to old standby: government surplus food, handed out in bulk to those who couldn't afford to feed themselves.

How long do you suppose most welfare recipients would stay unemployed and on benefits if they had to figure out what to do with a brick of processed cheese product and a bag of dry rice instead of taking their shiny cash card to Wal-Mart for a government funded shopping spree every month? (Talk about the mother of all reality shows material!)

I don't know about you, but I'd like to find out!

Thursday, February 2

Dr. Oz... A Rant

This post is brought to you by my local gym.

At the gym the other day we randomly found several girls populating the treadmills where we usually only run into guys pumping iron. As a result, instead of the usual mindless news loop, Dr. Oz filled the tv.

Since we both bring our headphones anyway, it was no big deal. But, of course, while I listened to my audio book I occasionally read the closed captioning. And I was appalled.

Completely ignoring his vapid discussion on taking vitamins, I couldn't stop all the "For the Love of God!" and "Are You Serious?" sputtering I did when he got to talking about "secret allergies" to wheat and milk. According to him and his guest, upwards of 60% of Americans have these "secret allergies" and you can lose up to 30 pounds of allergy-induced bloat just by avoiding them!

Really? Seriously?


No distinctions between raw/ pro-biotic dairy like unpasteurized, un-homogenized milk or kefir and the highly processed stuff on the grocery store shelf. No distinction between soaked and sourdough-ed bread made from freshly ground wheat and the white processed fluff that is a standard sandwich loaf.

No warnings of the eighteen other names or indicators on a label that an item contains gluten, milk, or casein. Not a peep about soy which is (in every available form) completely indigestible and hormonal suicide.  

You just estimated that 60% of the population has a serious food allergy and you've given them only misdirection and half truth with which to approach it? And what about the dramatic three-day series Dr. Oz was about to run with 99 Diet Foods you think are good for you but really aren't? Granted it fills up three days worth of programming with gasps and edge-of-one's-seat anticipation, but you could cover the basics in ten seconds: diet food is bad for you. All of it.

I don't watch Dr. Oz's show, and I don't know a lot about him. He could be a perfectly wonderful guy doing the best he knows how. But given that the current generations of Americans (children and parents alike) know less about food than any previous generation, half-truths and drama nutrition like this are terribly dangerous and  counter productive.

Certainly Dr. Oz is not the only one culpable of such nonsense, and people truly invested in good nutrition will seek out the truth. All the same, it is both sad and frustrating that millions of Americans are so uninformed (or misinformed) as to take this kind of discussion as truth and let it shape their habits.

I know that dwelling on giant-scale messes like this one only lead to helplessness and anger, so (now that I've ranted) and I am choosing to let go and return with fresh resolve to my chosen solution.  

I will fight this battle one person at a time. 

I cannot change what is on tv and I cannot shake an entire nation into acting sensibly. But I can learn and know the truth. I can take care of my family. I can model healthy habits and share delicious recipes, resources and tricks of the trade to make real nutrition and healthy living accessible to those I meet.

How do you to respond to blatantly false information in news and pseudo-news media?