Monkeyfister

"Don't Buy Stuff You Cannot Afford," From Steve Martin, and Saturday Night Live... It's just one page long.




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Labels: Get out of debt-- just pay it off, just do it-- one bill at a time

Hello everyone. I'd like to just drop by and invite
everyone to take a look at my new blog.

It took me a long time, but I finally have a blog.
I think it's a good one. If you don't like hoaxes,
scandal and controversy, don't go to my blog,
though, because that's pretty much what it's about.

Only big ones. I don't care about petty dating stories
of the rich and famous. I care about the men (and
some women) who are planning overthrow of the
US government, and how to stop them.

link to blog

This is an article from last month. I forgot to post it when it was fresh, and was surprised that it wasn't blogged about more at the time, or since. So, let's get it out there, eh?

AssPress Reports:

NDIANAPOLIS — Employers who offer health insurance coverage could see a 9 percent cost increase next year, and their workers may face an even bigger hit, according to a report from consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Costs will rise in part because workers worried about losing their jobs are using their health care more while they still have it, the firm said in the report released to The Associated Press. The report also said rising unemployment is driving up medical costs.

Health care reform legislation currently being hashed out in Congress likely will have little impact on next year's costs, said PWC principal Michael Thompson. But he noted that the intense focus on health care may slow price increases.
"Nobody wants to be front-page news when all the lights are shining on your industry," he said.

Businesses confronted with increases will likely pass some of the burden to employees via higher premiums, deductibles or copays, Thompson said.
"If the underlying costs go up by 9 percent, employees' costs actually go up by double digits," he said, noting that will have a "major, major impact" when many employers also are freezing or cutting pay. A total of 42 percent of employers surveyed said they would increase employees' share of costs.

The 9 percent increase predicted for 2010 represents a slight decrease from the 9.2 percent PWC projected for this year and 9.9 percent predicted for 2008. A growing use of generic drugs has helped tame spending, according to the most recent survey.

Actual cost increases for this year and last were not available.

Single-Payer off the table? Public Option horribly weakened, or getting pulled? A five-year hold before being put into effect? Huh???? Oh, I think more poking around at the juicy bits under-reported in this short article will yield plenty of fruits for the inquisitive researcher.



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Labels: Fuck The Health Insurance Companies, Health Insurance, Universal Health Care

It's been a very busy four days in the garden and kitchen, as Cucumbers, and the Romas, Beans and Peppers keep coming in big waves. Saturday, I made up 3-1/2 quarts of tasty, spicy dill pickles, and froze 6 quarts of chopped Romas. Sunday, I froze 10 individual meal-sized packets of Beans. I planted Goldmarie Vining Yellow Pole Beans, and Rattlesnake Green Pole Beans for the big production plants. Boy, they are going to keep me busy this Summer, and they both are sweet, crisp and delicious-- I can't fully describe the taste and texture of the Goldmaries-- they have a very buttery and tender feel in the mouth-- just divine, and I highly reccomend them to you all for next year. They beat the hell out of Blue Lake or any of the others. They are an Italian-style flat, wide bean. I put up three quarts of pickled peppers as well, on Sunday.

Today, I got out of work an hour early, and went to the pick-your-own tomato place, up the road. Got a full bushel of big, organic tomatoes for $15, and I've got the water on to start processing them. Next year, I'll have the final bed, which is fallow this year, to plant 100% in tomatoes, and won't have to pay for them. Still, $15.00 is a GREAT price for a bushel of fresh-picked, local, Organic Tomatoes.

Tonight, I am going to can some crushed tomatoes, with a hot pack, and water bath process. I like this link, from the National Center For Home Food Preservation, but, any AgExtension has the same recipe., because it is simple, and to the point, with big, easy to read tables.

I'll need:

Tomatoes
Two big pots:

One for sterilizing jars, and one to cook the crushed Tomatoes in.

A medium pot:

To flash-boil Tomatoes for skinning

A small saucepan:

For sterilizing the lids

A bottle of pure Lemon juice
Measuring spoons
Kosher or Sea Salt
Jars and lids
A Canning Funnel
A Jar Lifter
A Lid Magnet (these three are usually available at any big grocery store as a kit.)
Ice
A shitload of BIG bowls, and cutting surfaces for all the many evolutions of the Tomato Processing Process.
And a good, sharp knife

OK. The water is boiling, and I'm off to cook-down, and can some crushed tomatoes.

If you don't have a garden going, I strongly recommend visiting your local Pick-Your-Own Tomato/Vegetable patch/Orchard, or visiting your local Farmers' Market for fresh, locally-grown tomatoes for canning. You get the very best for an excellent price-- especially if you Pick-Your-Own. These jars full of Summer will be very welcome come January. Trust me. There is nothing more delicious in the middle of Winter, than a jar of fresh-canned tomatoes.

UPDATE: I started a ~6pm, and finished at 10pm. I canned 18 quarts and two pints (the pints are mostly liquids). It goes a LOT faster if you have some help.

I have ten quarts of frozen, diced Romas already, with at least another 20 quarts ripening on the vine. I'll set-up another bushel of these Tomatoes, just like this, and call myself good for the Winter as far as Tomatoes go. Beans, Peppers, Cucumbers and Potatoes are all shaping up to be sustaining this year as well. Plenty of garlic, and Onions, and the Greens and Roots are all doing just fine. I am going to have more Leeks that I have any clue how to use this year. I have no IDEA what I was thinking, just planting and planting them.

Squash Bugs keep attacking the Squashes, but, staying away from the Cucumbers that I sowed from seed with the Tobacco ash-- remember that? The Nasturtiums seem to be a deterrent to them, and the Icicle Radishes are OK in comparison. Tomorrow, I am going to get out there and hit them with Pyrethrins. Yesterday, I hit them with Neem Oil, and it knocked them silly. This should be the K.O. punch for them. I hope it saves the Squash plants. One day you see a Squash Bug, the next day, they've invited the whole damned neighborhood to party on your plants, and the veggies are getting sick. Neem Oil, Pyrethrins, and Dormant Oil on the eggs. Kills them off... but they ALWAYS come back.

Other than that, no shortage of side items for dinners these days. my tiny Blueberry bushes keep giving me a handful of berries a week, as do the Strawberries! I started the Fall Broccoli, Brussel's Sprouts, and Collard seedlings this weekend, on top of everything else. No-- the house didn't get cleaned as I like it, and the Bachelor Farmer piles are beginning to spread from those places that I frequent most. One can have preserved foods, or a clean house-- one cannot have both at the same time... Life as a single man in the 21st Century... sigh.


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Labels: Canning, Food Preservation, Food Security, Local Economy, Local Farming, Local Food