Why are gas prices going down?

Saudi Arabia is at war with "frackers". Fracking is expensive. So, Saudi Arabia decided to saturate the market with oil. It is business 101,supply and demand. More oil supply drives gas prices down at the pump. It is good for you and me, very bad to fracking. This might kill the business of fracking and the business in the Dakotas might dry out. Until then,the war continues and we pay less at the pump. And, this is another business principle, competition drives goods' price down and produces better products.

It's November, 27, 2014...The Last Thursday in November..And We All Know What That Means...

Happy Thanksgiving America

A Tip for Stuffing

As any other food, stuffing harbors germs. Heat can kill these germs, unless you place the stuffing "stuffed" inside the turkey. Unfortunately, the stuffing does absorb fat and it won't cook enough to kill the germs in this way. Play it safe and cook the stuffing outside the turkey.  Don't forget the vegetables, the carrots, the potatoes, and some caramelized onions, yes...please...yum. Gravy will make this meal worth delivering it to kings and queens. And, remember you are an American. We don't have queens and kings. We all are queens and kings. In the United States of America, We elect people...we do not coronate.

Facts about cranberries

On Thanksgiving Day most people eat cranberries, mostly as a sauce that goes nicely with turkey. And, that where our story goes. In our intestine, there resides a form of bacteria known as E. coli. These are for most part friendly bacteria living in our gut, but they are not so friendly if they find their way to our urinary tract. It just happened that these little rascals love to migrate to the bladder (that probably tells you about their "taste" in things). Anyhow, once they arrive to the bladder they anchor themselves to its surface, making it home. Eating cranberries and drinking its juice is the worse thing that can ruin their little "vacation" in the bladder. This delicious fruit contains compounds that prevent the E. coli to attach themselves to the bladder's wall and thus they are "washed out" in urine (the poor thing). Not only cranberries do that to E. coli, scientists also discover that blueberries have the same ability to ruin their day as well. So, it is not the acidity of cranberries that kill the bacteria; it's the presence of a specific compounds in these two plants that does the trick. How much do you need to drink to get rid of the bladder infection? Clinicians recommend a regimen consists of 16 ounces of cranberry juice daily for three consecutive weeks. Try the unsweetened variety as it is "healthier".

Messages to My Sons: Thanksgiving Eve

Hello Babas, hope your day went well today. I know you that all of you try your best. Just keep doing the good thing in whatever you do. It will pay off eventually in a good way (it might take time, but eventually you will get rewarded). In my experience in life, whenever I got to the darkest point in any situation, a light appeared suddenly and obliterated that darkness. The good Lord says that he has "written your name on the palm of His hand". He often says "do not let your heart be troubled", and "be still and know that I am God." We will be spending Thanksgiving Day together with all of you here in Holly Springs. Mom is cooking this year for the five of us. She bought a 12.1-pound turkey. She will be making a pumpkin pie and another cake for EG that he likes. I will get EG from Durham in the morning to spend the day with us. We will plan to eat around 2 PM. Happy Thanksgiving my dearest Babas. I love you.

Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner: Some Nutritional Facts Concerning Turkey

My wife bought a 12.1-pound turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. Here are some of the facts about my turkey meal tomorrow: 1) the turkey weighs 193.6 ounces, 2) Assuming that 20% of that weight is bones and other "things" that normal people don't eat, that means the weight of turkey meat is 154.9 ounces, about 20% is dark meat (30 ounces) and 80% white meat (125 ounces), 3) The dark meat has a total of 1590 kcalories whereas the light meat provides a whopping 6968.75 kcalories, 4) the total number of kcalories in the entire turkey meat is about 8559, 5) we will be five people eating this turkey for an average of 1711.75 kcalories each (of course if we finish it all tomorrow in one setting, not counting the other stuff that come with it), 5) in addition to calories, the turkey will provide 1027.5 mg of calcium in total and 12387.5 mg of potassium and, 6) 107.4 mg of zinc. Bon appetit

Bon Appetit

BMP AFGHANISTAN Stamps Collection

AFGHANISTAN    378    A120    60p black
AFGHANISTAN    372    A121    25p green
AFGHANISTAN    375    A122    40p chnt brn
AFGHANISTAN    451    A123    1af car & ultra
AFGHANISTAN    551    A172    100p citron
AFGHANISTAN    552    A172    2af lt grn
AFGHANISTAN    662a    A210    3af choc (White Margins)
AFGHANISTAN    676    A214    5af gold, rose car & blk
AFGHANISTAN    682    A217    13.75af car rose
AFGHANISTAN    684    A218    50p dl red & grn
AFGHANISTAN    686    A218    5af brt grn & dk brn
AFGHANISTAN    695    A222    25p gold, bl, blk, red, & grn
AFGHANISTAN    704    A227    75p aqua, dk bl & emer
AFGHANISTAN    1051    A430    20af multi
AFGHANISTAN    1097    A442    2af multi
AFGHANISTAN    1098    A442    5af multi
AFGHANISTAN    1099    A442    8af multi
AFGHANISTAN    1102    A442    15af multi
AFGHANISTAN    C57    AP8    10af red lil & grn
AFGHANISTAN    B73    SP18    1.50af + 50p grn, choc & red

C57    AP8    10af red lil & grn

AFGHANISTAN's Stamps: A122 (March 21, 1951) [Scott Catalogue]

AFGHANISTAN    375    A122    40p chnt brn    C    1    0.12    0.12
Ruined Arch (Imprinted: Waterlow & Sons Limited, London) (March 21, 1951) [Scott Catalogue]

AFGHANISTAN's Stamps: A120 (March 21, 1951) [Scott Catalogue]

AFGHANISTAN    378    A120    60p black    C    1    0.20    0.20
Ancient tower (March 21, 1951) (Imprinted: Waterlow & Sons Limited, London) [Scott Catalogue]

AFHANISTAN's Stamps: A121 (March 21, 1951) [Scott Catalogue]

AFGHANISTAN    372    A121    25p green    C    1    0.10    0.10
Zahir Shah (Imprinted: Waterlow & Sons Limited, London) (March 21, 1951) [Scott Catalogue]

AFGHANISTAN's Stamps: A123 (November 23, 1957) [Scott Catalogue]

AFGHANISTAN    451    A123    1af car & ultra    C    1    0.20    0.20
Zahir Shah (Imprint: Waterlow & Sons Limited, London) (November 23, 1957) [Scott Catalogue]

AFGHANISTAN's Stamps: A218 (June 25, 1964) [Scott Catalogue]

AFGHANISTAN    686    A218    5af brt grn & dk brn    C    1    0.30    0.30
Yak (June 25, 1964) [Scott Catalogue]

AFGHANISTAN's Stamps: A430 (December 10, 1983) [Scott Catalogue]

AFGHANISTAN    1051    A430    20af multi    C    1    0.00
U.N. declaration of human rights, 35th anniversary (December 10, 1983) [Scott Catalogue]

AFGHANISTAN's Stamps: A442 (June 30, 1984) [Scott Catalogue]

AFGHANISTAN    1097    A442    2af multi    C    1    0.08
AFGHANISTAN    1098    A442    5af multi    C    1    0.20
AFGHANISTAN    1099    A442    8af multi    C    1    0.30
AFGHANISTAN    1102    A442    15af multi    C  1    0.60
Classic automobiles and their designers 1097 (Ettore Bughatti (1881-1947) Type 43, Italy); 1098 (Henry Ford (1863-1947) 1903 Model A, USA); 1099 (Rene Panhard (1841-1908) 1899 Landau, France); 1102 (Armand Peugeot (1848-1915) 1982 Vis-a-Vis, France) (June 30, 1984) [Scott Catalogue]

AFGHANISTAN's Stamps: A218 (June 25, 1964) [Scott Catalogue]

AFGHANISTAN    684    A218    50p dl red & grn    C    1    0.08
Ibex (vertical) (June 25, 1964) [Scott Catalogue]

AFGHANISTAN's Stamps: A214 (March 22, 1964) [Scott Catalogue]

AFGHANISTAN    676    A214    5af gold, rose car & blk    C    1    0.35
Issued to honor philately (Tiger's Head of 1878) (March 22, 1964) [ Scott Catalogue]

AFGHANISTAN's Stamps: A172 (1961-1972) [Scott Catalogue]

AFGHANISTAN    551    A172    100p citron    C    1    0.10
AFGHANISTAN    552    A172    2af lt grn    C    1    0.60

Buzkashi (1961-1972) [Scott Catalogue]

AFGHANISTAN's Stamps: A210 (October 8, 1963) [Scott Catalogue]

AFGHANISTAN    662a    A210    3af choc (White Margins)    C    2    0.50



Balkh Gate (October 8, 1963) [Scott Catalogue]

AFGHANISTAN's Stamps: A227 (November 9, 1964) [Scott Catalogue]

AFGHANISTAN    704    A227    75p aqua, dk bl & emer    C    1    0.05    0.05
Emblem of Afghanistan Women's Association (November 9, 1964) [Scott Catalogue]

AFGHANISTAN's Stamps: SP18 (October 1965) [Scott Catalogue]

AFGHANISTAN    B73    SP18    1.50af + 50p grn, choc & red    C    1    0.10    0.10

First Aid Station; issued for the Red Crescent Society (October 1965) [Scott Catalogue]

AFGHANISTAN's Stamps: A217 (April 1964) [Scott Catalogue]

AFGHANISTAN    682    A217    13.75af car rose    C    1    0.50    0.50


Inauguration of Kandahar Airport (April 1964) [Scott Catalogue]

AFGHANISTAN's Stamps: AP8 (April 1964) [Scott Catalogue]

AFGHANISTAN        C57    AP8    10af red lil & grn    C    1    0.35    0.35
Inauguration of Kabul Airport Terminal  (April 1964) [Scott Catalogue]

AFGHANISTAN's Stamps: A222 (August 24, 1964) [Scott Catalogue]

AFGHANISTAN    695    A222    25p gold, bl, blk, red, & grn     U    1    0.07    0.07

Issued to commemorate Independence Day. The stamps were printed with an erroneous inscription in upper left corner: "33rd year of independence." This was locally obliterated with a typographed gold bar. [Scott Catalogue]

Flag and outline of Nadir Shah's Tomb

This is just a test

Testing...testing...testing...do you hear me...phou...phou...testing...123...testing...phou...123

Kindle Fire is not compatible with Blogger

Kindle Fire is not compatible with Blogger with respect to downloading images and pictures of any type. It used to be very easy to download pictures on Blogger using Kindle Fire, but this compatibility is no longer available.

Messages to My Sons: Anticipations

Here comes the weekend again. I am looking forward to this weekend and being with you. Perhaps we could go to watch a movie and eat hamburgers and fries. May be all of us boys can go to do that. I always look forward to our time together. I cherish every moment of it because I know good time like that doesn't last long and soon you will be on your own doing your own things once you are in college. There is nothing more important than family. One day you will know once you have your own children. I am also looking forward to this Thursday, Thanksgiving Day. Your mom said that she will be cooking this year for us only. That would be nice for a change. Good deal.

Within You A Great God

In all human beings, a great God live within us. Our bodies are "temples of the Holy Spirit". Do not offend your Lord God by wearing your "stupid hat".  Love everyone as yourself. You cannot claim that you love your God without first loving your neighbor. Obey the Ten Commandments. They are there for one reason is to make you the best vehicle you can be so that the Lord God can reside in you. The God of Abram, Isaac, and Jacob is alive and lives within you. Be respectful. Amen.

Healthy Hair Tips for Gray Hair

The herb Fenugreek may be used to darken white hair. Grind Fenugreek seeds to a powder. This is accomplished by soaking the seeds in hot water until they soften. Subsequent grinding can form a paste. This paste may be applied diluted with water on gray hair for two hours. Following this application, rinse the hair with some warm water and air dry. This treatment is applied daily to see any effect. Coconut oil may also work on softening the hair and making it silky to touch. Apply coconut oil to hair and let it stay there for about 2 hours. Rinse with hot water and olive oil soap base to wash the hair from coconut oil residues. Before applying these two treatments, apply a small amount of both on your back arm to see if you are sensitive to these products.Results may vary greatly, and you won't see any significant difference until a time period equals to (3 months + 1 month for every year you've had the gray hair. Say you had gray hair for 25 years, then you won't see any significant coloring of your gray hair until (3 + 25) 28 months of applications are done.   You must consult your dermatologist before beginning these hair treatments as they may act differently on different people, and to make sure you are not allergic to these natural products. Good things to you, friend.

Writing is Therapeutic

I once was told to take up writing to relief my stress. I must admit it I was skeptical at first. But, I tried it anyway. It worked. Writing can be therapeutic indeed. You don't have to be a writer to write. Just read my blog posts and you would know immediately I am not much a writer at all. However, writing is more for myself than anyone else. Write my friend, write a blog, a poem, a letter, a postcard, a note to your significant other, just write and distress. By the way, reading has a similar effect. Read a book, a blog, a letter, a newsletter, a newspaper, a magazine, a thesis, just read and enjoy, and most of all distress. Stress is the cause of all health evil. Ask any physician and he/she will tell you that stress is the cause of 80% of all degenerative diseases, including cancer, stroke, and heart attack. The remaining 20% are due to either genetics, accidents, or acute illnesses like bacterial infections. Writing, reading, and arithmetic, or the three Rs are therapeutic. Doing arithmetic can distract you and shift your focus from thinking about your problems to thinking about solving a math problem. Read, write, and do arithmetic. Live life without stress and disease. Writing indeed is a gift from heaven...Enjoy it. 

Messages to My Sons: This Weekend

Dear Babas, I enjoyed seeing you the last couple of days, EG. I am glad you decided to stay over on Friday night. After not being able to see the movie due to uncontrollable temperature in the theater and then the projector would not work (Lol), I am glad we decided not to stay and see the movie. I hope you'll enjoy the jeans you bought. I know you like to wear nice cloth and I hope you will have enough money in your adult life to keep you happy. I missed you very much yesterday dearest AW and JP. I hope you had a nice scout camping time. I know AW enjoys it more than you JP, but you are such an easy going guy. I love you all. Dad.

It is cold in Holly Springs

Winter may not be officially here as yet, but it's been cold the last few days in my Southern town. Yesterday night the temperature was in 20s, and that is cold around here.

Bonjour

Bonjour mes amis. Comment ca va? Tres bien, merci.

Did you know that...

...50% of all death in the United States are due to heart attacks.

And, the Number One Killer Disease in the United States is...[Drummer Please...bmmmbmmmbmmm]

                               Heart Attach

Best Place to Hide Your Secrets...You Have Found It!

If you want to write your personal diary and hid it in a secret place on the Internet, you have found it. Write your personal diary on my blog, BMP. No one reads it. I, me, and myself read it. That's all. Sometimes my brothers and my sister visit my site, but they don't even read the blog posts. They simply like the images of stamps and the ones from planet Mars. BMP seems to have a few followers. But, I am not even sure if they are real. Perhaps their computers accidentally landed on my site for a few seconds while surfing the net. I haven't had a new follower for ages. Somehow the number of BMP followers got stuck on 18. The Google+  followers are 4, and the number has been 4 since I joined Google+. Perhaps this number 4 is the default for Google+. A "4" means you don't have anyone following your blog. It is just to keep you thinking that you have followers. Hide your deepest secrets here for free. No one will read it. I guarantee it.

The "Black Box"

The notion of "black box" is well-known in science. Whenever there is a lack of knowledge in a particular area, this would be a "black box". Botanical medicine and its science is full of these black boxes. Much is based on folklore, hearsay, tradition, belief, and anecdotal reports. Although scientific studies are numerous in this area, including placebo-controlled clinical trials, much of herbalists and traditional healers still rely on what they were handed down from their teachers. Botanical medicine is learned and practiced based on tradition as much as on science. Yes, black boxes are numerous in this area, but other areas of medicine have their own "black boxes". No science is complete, otherwise it becomes obsolete very quickly.

Ceylon's Stamps: A88 (June 2, 1953) [Scott Catalogue]

 

Ceylon's Stamps  A88 Coronation Issue (Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of England) (June 2, 1953) [Scott Catalogue]:

 

317  A88  5c green 

Turkey's Stamps: SP25 (May 5, 1959) [Scott Catalogue]

 

Turkey's Stamps  SP25 (Road building machine) Council of Europe, 10th anniversary; No. B70 surcharged in ultramarine (May 5, 1959); the original surtax of 5k went to the Red Crescent Society and to the Society for the Protection of Children [Scott Catalogue]:

 

1440  SP25  105k on 15k + 5k org

Turkey's Stamps: A286 & A287 (November 10, 1958) [Scott Catalogue]

 

Turkey's Stamps  A286/A287 (printed in alternate rows in sheet) Issued to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the death of Kemal Ataturk [A286 Flame and Mausoleum/A287 Kemal Ataturk] (November 10, 1958) [Scott Catalogue]:

 

1430  A286  25k red

1431  A287  75k bl grn

Turkey's Stamps: A259 (December 26, 1956) [Scott Catalogue]

 

Turkey's Stamps  A259  Mehmet Akif Ersoy (Issued to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the death of Mehmet Akif Ersoy, author of the Turkish National Anthem (each stamp bears a different verse of the anthem) (December 26, 1956) [Scott Catalogue]:

 

1219  A259  20k brn & brt yel grn

1220  A259  20k rose car & lt gray

Turkey's Stamps: A269 (September 1, 1957) [Scott Catalogue]

 

Turkey's Stamps  A269  King of Afghanistan (Issued to commemorate the visit of Mohammed Zahir Shah, King of Afghanistan, to Turkey (September 1, 1957) [Scott Catalogue]:

 

1250  A269  45k car lake & pink

Turkey's Stamps: A250 (May 13, 1956) [Scott Catalogue]

 

Turkey's Stamps  A250  (Zubeyde Hanum) Issued to commemorate Mother's Day 1956, and to honor Zubeyde Hanum, mother of Kemal Ataturk; (May 13, 1956) [Scott Catalogue]:

 

1206  A250  20k pale brn & dk brn

Turkey's Stamps: AP5 (August 13, 1959) [Scott Catalogue]

 

Turkey's Stamps  AP5 (Hawk) (August 13, 1959) [Scott Catalogue]:

 

C34  AP5  105k yel & sep

Turkey's Stamps: AP7 (July 13, 1967) [Scott Catalogue]

 

Turkey's Stamps  AP7 (De Havilland Rapide Biplane) (July 13, 1967) [Scott Catalogue]:

 

C39  AP7  10k pink & blk

How I Lost 50 Pounds in One Year?

The formula is very simple, but its application is very hard. Here is the big secret about loosing weight, for every pound of fat you need to loose, you will need to waste 3,500 Calories. Simple enough, isn't it? Not! Most people who are overweight or fat love to eat. I used to be one of them. Actually, I still am one of them, but I learned how to control myself. So, here is the other part of the big secret, to loose these 3,500 pounds you need to have an extremely self control at the beginning. Yes, only at the beginning until your "new" eating style becomes a habit. It took me exactly one year to loose 50 pounds. I began on October 10, 2013 at the right-full weight of 226 lbs. and by October 10 of this year I dropped to my ideal weight of 176 lbs. (ideal for my age, height, and gender). [There are many sites on the Internet that are happy to provide you with your ideal weight, however to get there it is up to you.] And, don't count on your doctor to tell you how. Believe me if he knew how, he won't be as chubby either. He might give you some lip service on eating less and exercise more as he run out the exam room. My story began on October 10, 2013. I woke up that morning and ate breakfast (three full bagels toasted with cream cheese, yum). I had that morning my appointment at the clinic to check my "cholesterol and lipids level". The news from the lab were terrifying. I had "numbers that I never have seen before", my clinician stated with disbelief. "You must be kidding me" I replied. "Kid you not" said the clinician. I was so depressed that day that three bagels were the only food I ate that day. And, my journey had began. The first thing I did I stopped eating lunch at the "McDonald's" of the World. I either ate a light lunch at work or ate nothing for lunch. At dinner time, I ate a lot of salad and gradually I decreased my food intake at dinner time. I increased my vegetables, salad, and fruits intake and ate less of carbohydrates (bread) and meat. I used to eat a whole bag of chips/peanuts watching TV at night. That's gone too. I noticed my weight began to drop gradually. I would loose a pound or two a week. My six-month visit to the clinic to check my blood lipid makeup was a miracle. It read normal all over the lab report. My clinician and I were all smiles that day. I continued on my new "diet", and one year later it is now a habit to eat less, and eat more of the good stuff (vegetables, fruits, and salads). My meals are almost 70% of this type of foods and the remaining everything else. I do "cheat" once a while. This is usually on the weekends. But, then I return to my "new routine" on weekdays. And, how about exercise? I had a part-time job that required physical activity. Part of loosing 50 pounds in one year is due to it. I would say, it perhaps contributed at least 30% to 40% of me loosing all that weight "quickly". Unfortunately, now I resigned from that job I started to gain "some weight" back. But, if I keep following my new food habit I doubt it very much I am going to gain back all that weight. [Actually, the taste of hamburgers from fast food restaurants is not anymore appealing to me. I just lost the taste for it.] I might gain some, but I am really determined to stay healthy. I am relatively speaking still young and I want to see my children graduate from college and spoil my grand babies with toys.

Health Insurance Premium Increase

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina has increased my health insurance premium by 12.2%, beginning in January 2015. This covers my three sons and my wife. I am covered by my employer, at least for now. I am expecting some new changes and surprises from my employer concerning health insurance. I'll keep you posted.

Messages to My Sons: Happy B-Day JP

Happy Sixteen Birthday JP. I love you. I enjoyed the dinner tonight with you, AW, and Mom. I wish EG could have made it to the dinner. Many birthdays to come baby JP. I love you. Dad.

P.S. My God, EG, you lost so much weight. You told me you were at 159 lbs. Wow. Way to go EG.

P.S. AW, you are the greatest thing God ever made. You are so good and want everyone to be happy. You please people on your own expense. You will be rewarded for that. Good deeds never go unnoticed. Good job AW.

Town of Holly Springs (North Carolina): Official Newsletter (November 2014)

Hackers

I discovered yesterday, Saturday, November 1st that my Discover card account was hacked. Someone managed to get to my cashback points and steal worth of $300 from my cashback accumulation. I immediately called Discover and closed the account. With this electronic age, nothing is protected 100%, and for a simple reason. Hackers aim to target the weakest point in the chain. Who knows how they got hold of my account ordering merchandise from L.L. Bean worth of $300? These people, while technically knowledgeable, are the scum of the earth, ethically rundown with no morals or lack of characters. They suffer from moral turpitude. Make sure to check your accounts and in particular the reward programs that you have. There are people looking to steal it from you. Don't become a victim like me.

Homeless at every corner...Revisited

After I published my blog on homeless people standing at intersections in greater Raleigh/Durham area, they suddenly all vanished. Not one or a few, all vanished overnight. And, it was not that cold here. Rumors on the Internet state that they were rounded up and placed in "FEMA Camps". That would be one explanation, I wonder what could be else?