GorillaOffTopic, Everything But Gorilla Trades

Many parents gripe about the price of school lunches during the year, as well they should. Costs can be high, especially if your kids are in high school. Lunch prices can often exceed $3 per day, depending on what your kids choose to eat. But hold on to your wallets parents- the news gets much worse!  The economy is being pummeled in many areas; i:e, gas prices and soaring food costs. Unfortunately, it has now filtered into your kids’ schools, via their lunch costs. It is projected that next fall, school cafeterias everywhere will be feeling the pain of higher food costs and the result will be 50% more or approximate 5-20 cents more per item for your kids. Man, that’s a painful lesson in economics that your kids will be learning!  The sad thing is, while milk has gone up 12%, cheese 15%, and bread by 17%, sadly, the National School Lunch Program has increased what it pays local school districts to feed 30.1 million schoolchildren by only 3%. Pricier ingredients are only part of the reason. Erik Peterson, a spokesman for the School Nutrition Association says that the federal subsidy simply hasn’t kept up with rising food costs, with rising labor costs, fuel costs, and benefits costs- even at $8.5 billion per year. It is simple to calculate the losses. About roughly half of schoolchildren receive free lunches and the bare minimum cost to prepare it is about $2.66 per meal. Since the federal subsidy is only $2.47 per meal, that is a loss of 15 cents on every one of the 15 million lunches served. Since the law requires the programs to be self sustaining, the costs must obviously be recouped somehow, thus the raised prices for next school year. 

In Brevard County, Florida, for example, breakfasts are expected to cost roughly 50% more and lunches will be about 35% more. Luckily, most price increases won”t be that extreme, but school officials from across the county say they will have to charge more. So parents, next year when your kids tell you they need four dollars for lunch, chances are, they are not upping the price so they can pocket the rest; a little trick a young Gorilla used to pull with his parents. Much like driving a Kia Rio may come into high style due to higher gas prices, the return of the brown bag lunch may become all the rage again for those kids in high school. Desperate measures? Perhaps so!

We all know as adults that we have to watch our cholesterol. Deposits of plaque in the walls on the arteries (atherosclerosis) are a common indicator of poor diet, and put people at risk for high blood pressure, heart attacks, and other health problems. But, what about our kids? Should we worry about their cholesterol levels?  You may be saying to your self “no way,” but chances are, you would be wrong. Surprisingly, 5% of kids have high cholesterol, but our entire population’s cholesterol levels are on the rise. Although It is not uncommon for many kids to have high cholesterol levels, you should not be worried that your kids are going to suffer a heart attack. However, what parents should be concerned about is their future.  According to Dr. Elaine Urbina, director of Preventive Cardiology at Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center, she says ”it is proven that unless a strong intervention is made, there is a definite correlation between the risk factors as a child and those as an adult.” So yes, you do, in fact, have to worry about your kids’ cholesterol levels, and sad as that may be to have to admit, it is more common these days to see young kids with cholesterol problems because of the horrendously bad food choices they often make. “It’s really common to see abnormalities in cholesterol levels in kids because of the obesity epidemic,” Urbina said. “Because kids are more sedentary, eating more high-fat diets and they are overweight, we are seeing it more and more,” she said.  It is not entirely the fault of our kids course, after all, many times our kids eat what we buy for them, so we must take some of the blame as parents. Kids eat foods that are high in saturated fats and that are filled with cholesterol. It is the fast-food lifestyle (and not just genetics as once thought) that we have all become accustomed to, and kids generally like that stuff, so what’s a parent to do?  

“We should promote health in school, stop super-sizing foods, and be telling everyone to exercise,” Urbina said. “I’m in favor of universal screening versus selective screening.” It is not that hard to change the lifestyle. Some things Dr. Urbina recommends are easy to incorporate in your homes and lives. They are things like, drinking skim milk (easy enough), having family exercise every day or at least 3-4 times a week (how bout’ a game of kickball, or volleyball?), eating whole grain or whole wheat bread (instead of white), limit red meats, use low-fat or even fat-free cheese, and most importantly, know your family heart history. Having your kids (as well as your own) cholesterol levels checked can be an eye opening experience, but it may well save their lives and your own, and for the future, prevent the onset of some troubling illnesses for them. And hey, aren’t they worth it?

Like many of you, the Gorilla keeps hearing the term ‘vegan’ lately. It is all over TV, radio, and the Internet, and it has been referenced in movies a lot lately, so the Gorilla was curious. What is it exactly? Is it a religious cult? Is it someone who is passionate about animals? Is it a type of politics? What exactly is a “vegan?”   Modern day vernacular is a tricky thing; one day you’ve never even heard a certain word or terminology, and the next day, it is a way of life for some people. It happens that fast! Or maybe it just creeps in and becomes popular all at once- but whatever the case, vegan is here to stay. Just when you thought you have heard about every type of diet and lifestyle, one more pops up to get you re-thinking everything you thought you knew!  So here it is in a nutshell: just like it sounds, the word vegan is derived from the original vegetarian, so it has to do with a particular type of diet preference. It is similar to your traditional vegetarian, but now with a new twist; a “vegan” eats no products derived from meat sources such as dairy, milk or cheese. Unfortunately, the image of this type of vegan diet has not been portrayed very attractively in the movies and on TV. It has been negatively made to seem, foreign, weird, and just plain unappetizing…after all, how can one enjoy food that is prepared without milk, eggs, or cheese? It would seem quite difficult to adjust, not to mention, it doesn’t seem natural to the Gorilla. Now being a plain vegetarian makes a lot more sense since it doesn’t involve extricating all dairy from the equation, making it so that you could eat a regular piece of french toast if you wanted to, but NO dairy?  At first glance it would appear that we may be going a little overboard with the self-deprecating behavior! Okay, so the Gorilla is trying to be open here, and although he is a little “old school” in his views in some ways, he is very open-minded in others, and is willing to try new things, so he did a little more investigating on the matter. It seems that upon further researching the subject, the Gorilla found out a thing or two.  First of all, ”veganism” as it is referred to, is more than just a diet, it is a belief system of sorts, and not in the religious sense at all, but more in the ethical and moral sense. It is, in essence, the advocating of animal rights and protectionism, and the thought process therein involves not partaking in those things which would harm or unethically treat the animals from which much of our everyday food intake is derived. Vegans believe that the processes (dairy farming and the whole “meat industry”) treat animals cruelly, and that is unnecessary to consume the foods that come from this source if it means subjecting animals to them.  These “ethical vegans” are also adamantly against products that use animal materials, such as wool, leather, silk, and other furs for clothing. Many vegans choose this lifestyle to promote a more humane and caring world. They know they are not perfect, but believe they have a responsibility to try to do their best, while not being judgmental of others. So what exactly does the vegan diet consist of? Well, despite how it has been portrayed, it is not that bad after all! A healthy and varied vegan diet includes fruits, vegetables, plenty of leafy greens, whole grain products, nuts, seeds, and legumes. More specifically, vegan sources include: potatoes, whole wheat bread, rice, broccoli, spinach, almonds, peas, chickpeas, peanut butter, tofu, soy milk, lentils, kale. It is all yummy food that the Gorilla loves to eat, but, no dairy?  

The Gorilla doesn’t know about that one, but in getting a better understanding of the thought process of the vegan, which involves the ethical treatment of animals, he found that the whole “vegan” thing is pretty cool to be sure. Now he’s not jumping up and down with enthusiasm about giving up dairy products and some meats he likes right now, no, but at least he has a better understanding of this type of diet and lifestyle and he hopes you will as well. Vegan is one type of diet and way of life that gets the Gorilla’s big fat hairy thumbs up! (Anything that promotes the ethical treatment of all animals gets the thumbs up from him.) Go vegans!    

It seems that Microsoft reigns supreme once again in the “what’s cool in tech” department. Mr. Softie and Harrah’s Entertainment just introduced the coolest new innovation, and the Gorilla can’t wait to try it out for himself. So what is it that has the Gorilla so excited? It’s a high-tech interactive bar table that lets patrons do a number of different things including order custom drinks, watch YouTube videos, play touch screen games, and even flirt (yes flirt) with each other- (although the very married Gorilla probably won’t be using that feature!). 

The table makes it easy for Harrah’s to track its customers’ habits and behaviors, adding to its sophisticated customer rewards program that tracks users’ gambling habits. These cool tables were recently installed in the lounge at the Rio All-Suite hotel and have built-in 30-inch flat screens, which use Microsoft’s surface technology and include custom applications built exclusively for Harrah’s.

The $10,000 units incorporate the program called Mixologists, which lets patrons be the bartender and create custom concoctions of the cocktails and mixers of the users choice. The coolest part of that is that the program can remember what you drank while you were there and remember it the next time you order! Another program lets users watch YouTube videos either by searching or choosing from a list of popular videos. Harrah’s officials announced that they reached a licensing deal with YouTube on Wednesday. The table also includes a program called Flirt, which allows customers sitting at any such table in the lounge see and chat with each other, take and email pictures, and exchange phone numbers. 

Other cool programs let customers play video games and get info about restaurants, shows, etc.  ”Of all the goodies up our sleeves lately, this is one of the most dramatic,” Tim Stanley, chief information officer of Harrah’s, told The Associated Press. “The range of opportunities is fairly limitless.” The Gorilla, for one, is a new fan of this cool technology and he can’t wait to go to Vegas and try it out! Hey… Banana Daiquiris, a little YouTube, and some gambling anyone? Viva Microsoft! Very well done once again.

If you have ever had an allergic reaction, you know how annoying and uncomfortable they can be, but some food allergies more than annoying, they can be downright dangerous! The Gorilla watched a good friend of his suffer for years with his child, who had terrible food allergies- mainly to peanuts. After many close calls, which included several emergency room visits, his parents finally got the allergies under control, and thankfully, they subsided as he grew older.  But for many parents, this way of life is cruel reality. Peanuts, in particular, are tough because there are peanuts in so many products that we eat. Almost 12 million Americans suffer from food allergies. In fact, according to Dr. Clifford Bassett, Vice Chair of the Public Education Committee of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, food allergies are doubling. It is a growing problem that many people suffer with daily.  If you watched last season’s Apprentice (which the Gorilla is a huge fan of), then you may remember country star and finalist, Trace Adkin’s, plight to find a cure for the debilitating food allergies, which afflict his young daughter. All the money he raised was for his charity of choice, the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, in honor of his daughter and those with food allergies. When his daughter was just 18 months old, she almost died after suffering an allergic reaction to peanut butter. He said the experience was “terrifying.” No child or adult should have to live this way; in constant fear that they will somehow come into contact with the many foods that are prepared with peanut oil or peanut by-products. The fact is, it is in so many items.  Well, there is good news on the horizon for those who must deal with peanut allergies; researchers at Duke University are working on a cure. They are hoping a form of immunotherapy will eradicate peanut allergies altogether and that it will be available within the next five years.  

Dr. Bassett believes everyone should get tested for food allergies. It is a good point since you may never know you are allergic to something until you have a bad reaction. By then it can sometimes be too late. “We’re trying to take the risk down to zero,” Bassett said. “Right now, the primary approach is education and awareness.” He also added that until the immunotherapy becomes available, you need to have an emergency backup plan just in case. It is exciting to think that a cure for this terrible allergy could be eradicated once and for all. Man, it sure is a good thing that Gorillas don’t really like peanuts; we’ll save them for those other species with the big trunks!

It’s amusing to think of an elderly group of people playing video games, but if you have frequented a retirement home lately, that is very likely, exactly what you will see. Yes, folks, it’s true. It seems that many older folks are finding that video games are a popular pastime. Specifically, the popular bowling game by Nintendo’s Wii video gaming system. It is not news really that the Japanese electronics giant has been going after the over 50 baby boomer crowd in hopes that they have some post-retirement time on their hands. But, the over 70 crowd?  The games seem to be just as popular with this age demographic as well. What ever happened to shuffleboard anyway? The days of traditional, old-fashioned games, such as Canasta, are numbered as the demand for the popular Wii rises among seniors. The truth is, according to the Entertainment Software Association, 25% of all gamers are actually 55 and older. Wow! Who knew? The Gorilla should not be surprised since his friend’s father (who is around 74) is a big fan of Madden 08′ for Sony’s handheld PSP gaming system. The guy just can’t get enough. But the thought of some of those elderly folks at the rest home, throwing that virtual bowling ball on the Wii system just cracks him up (in a good way!), but that is exactly what is happening.  Elderly folks are having “bowling tournaments” using the game, and if you have ever tried this fun game, you know why. It actually simulates the action of bringing one’s arm back and throwing a bowling ball down an alley. It’s so popular some people say that they can’t put the thing down because they enjoy it that much. I’ve never been into video games,” said 72-year-old Flora Dierbach last week, as her husband took a twirl with the Nintendo Wii’s bowling game, “but this is addictive.” She said residents love the Wii set up in the clubhouse lounge. Interestingly, many grandparents are being taught to play by their grand kids, but in a new twist, some grandparents actually say they are the ones teaching their grandchildren how to use the games!  

Beth Llewelyn is Nintendo’s senior director of corporate communications, and she says making the games user-friendly to the older demographic was always the plan. “People have no fear of picking up a remote control, but they’re hesitant to pick up a video game controller,” Llewelyn said. “So the idea was to make the controller look like a remote control with just a couple of buttons.” Amazingly, since the Wii systems hit stores in November, over 1 million gaming systems have been sold in the U.S. The Gorilla is a huge fan of the Wii and not only is it fun, but it can be great exercise as well, and that is something everyone could use! Happy gaming everyone!

Currently, there are between 10 and 16 million people in severe debt in the U.S. The economy is weak, the housing market has been beat up, and gas prices are outrageous. Companies are laying off employees left and right, and the financial stability many people once relied upon is fleeting. With mounting debt, comes mounting stress, and as we all know, higher stress levels can cause many health issues.  Doctors are reporting more and more cases of ulcers and psychologists are reporting more cases of anxiety than in recent years. The health issues commonly being reported are things like depression, heart attacks, and severe stomach problems. And according to an AOL index poll, debt related stress was up 14% in 2007. The poll, which was taken by those who reported high levels of debt, also revealed that 27% had ulcers or digestive track problems as compared to only 8% of those with low levels of debt stress. In addition, 44% had migraines or other headaches as compared to 4%. Twenty-three percent had severe depression compared with 4%, and the list goes on and on.  People report feeling “desperate” and not being able to sleep or concentrate. Medical research suggests that most of the symptoms are pretty typical of chronic stress. The body reacts with a “fight or flight” response, releasing adrenaline and the stress hormone, Cortisol (which is also responsible for belly fat). If the body stays in this state too long, it can wreak havoc on the immune system. So what is the answer for those who seem to have no way out?  Health experts offer their advice by suggesting the following steps to try and de-stress your life: First, consider debt consolidation; it is the number one way to reduce credit card debt and if applicable, is a good option for those who have mounting credit card debt. More and more people are using this option to slowly and surely get out of debt. Next, experts suggest having a friend to confide it, or a good social outlet, helps to alleviate some of the fear involved with being in debt or having financial troubles. Often just talking about it to someone can make you feel better. And lastly, find ways (preferably cheap or cost-free ways), to de-stress such as taking a walk, listening to music, or playing with your pet or kids.  

What most people need to be aware of, is the fact that there really is no “quick fix.” Since the economy, housing, and job markets didn’t tank overnight, it can’ t be fixed overnight. Yes, it will take time for this economy to recover, and recover it eventually will. But in the meantime, hang in there everyone!

Like many of you, the Gorilla is an avid horse lover, so when he heard the disturbing statistics about them, he was shocked and saddened. Over 100,000 horses were cruelly slaughtered in the U.S. last year. You may assume that these are old or lame horses that have no use any longer, but your assumption would be wrong…dead wrong!  Over 91% of the horses sent to the slaughterhouses each year are perfectly fine, young, healthy horses and many of them- disturbingly- are foals from the PMU or Premarin drug farms. Premarin is a women’s menopause drug, which is made from the urine of pregnant mares. Once the mares give birth, many of these foals are sent to slaughter, without ever having a chance at life. In addition, many of the horses slaughtered are retired race horses, who are by no means lame or old.   And the slaughter is the cruelest, most painful and terrifyingly scary death, one could ever imagine. Horsemeat cannot be sold for human consumption until the horse is bled-out (many are still alive during the process), so without going into the gruesome details, use your imagination. And to make it even worse, each horse must watch the horses before it be killed in this way. Once slaughtered, the meat is then sold to European countries and other countries, often times, for human consumption. It is a cruel and unnecessary evil that many states in the U.S. have outlawed, but in too many other states in the U.S., it is still perfectly legal.  Currently, a bill is pending that may outlaw altogether the slaughter of horses. The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act bans the slaughter of horses in the United States and causes it to be illegal to transport horses to other countries for purposes of slaughter. So how does the largest slaughterhouse in the U.S.- Bel-tex- in Fort Worth, Texas handling the proposed bill? Well, as you can imagine, not well. The company, whose grisly slogans include, ”Eat and Drink American” and “The Best Color for a Horse is Fat,” is fighting the bill. Texas happens to be the “horse- kill” capitol of the United States with both of the largest slaughter plants located there, including Dallas Crown in Kauffman, and Bel-Tex in Ft Worth.  Many people aren’t aware of exactly just what goes on in the big money (blood money) industry of these U.S. slaughterhouses, and it is about time it is put to a stop once and for all. And don’t be fooled by the “over-population” myth that has had a lot of press and hype- mostly from the slaughterhouse industry- in order to create justification and need. It is simply not factual. There is simply no overpopulation of horses in this country and any horse that needs to be euthanized due to age, behavior, or illness, deserves to be done so humanly, responsibly, and gently. There is still an industry for horse carcasses. The remains are used for various reasons and do not need to be consumed by humans.  

Fortunately for the horses, they have us as their advocates. Don’t let them down. You can help by writing letters, sending faxes, and/or make phone calls to your Congressional representatives. In the meantime, there are fortunately, many horse rescues out there that are saving these beautiful and useful creatures from a horrible, unnecessary death. That is precisely where the Gorilla obtained his horse; a perfectly healthy 3 year-old male buckskin named “Cody.” There are hundreds of horses that you can adopt or you can even ”sponsor” one so that it may continue to stay out of the slaughterhouses. You do not have to buy one necessarily in order to help.  Horses are the stuff great Western movies are made of, and slaughtering them so cruelly, should never be allowed. After all, Mr. Ed would certainly have something to say about that one, now wouldn’t he?

Have you ever been to the desert? If you have then you have certainly felt the intense magnitude of the heat there. Like the Gorilla, you have probably even pondered the effects of all that heat, and how it could power the world with its solar energy. Well, okay, maybe you hadn’t quite thought about that aspect, but scientists certainly have- and thank goodness!  As it turns out solar power from Africa’s deserts could actually supply all 600 million of it’s poor citizens - who don’t have electricity currently- with power, and it can even be exported to Europe. This was reported by a green energy conference in Nairobi on Thursday. Today, the Gorilla was out in the blistering sun and thought about that very good idea and smiled. After all, why not?  This desert sun could possibly provide the equivalent of 1.5 barrels of oil per square kilometer, as reported by Gerhard Knies, who is project manager for Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation (TREC), at a meeting of nine African states. He explained that the desert is the largest and best source of solar power and went on to explain how deserts receive 700 times more power per year than all humankind is using! Whoa, now that is a lot of power! The timing could not be better, as so many of Africa’s poor are in desperate need of electricity. Imagine how it could affect their society for the better!  And the better news is that providing solar thermal energy is simple and clean compared to extracting and processing fossil fuels (which we know is harmful to the environment and way too costly to boot). The process of harnessing the sun’s enormous power involves a combination of mirrors and pipes to concentrate the sun’s heat to boil water and drive an old fashion steam turbine. Once you have the mirrors and pipes, the costs are finished, and Mother Nature does the rest. That’s it! ] 

Currently, solar power is being used throughout the world as a supplement to the costly use of fossil fuels, but its use is limited right now. Eventually, the hope is that fossil fuels will become the supplement to renewable solar energy! Well, all the Gorilla can say is, let’s get going on this people! The outrageous costs of fuel are what is behind the movement to harness solar power, and with price of gas in Europe reaching as high as $12 and more per gallon, push has certainly come to shove. Hey, whatever it takes to get this environment healthier and cleaner is what we all want, so to the awesome innovation of harnessing solar power, the Gorilla says ”bring on the heat!”

The Gorilla had the distinct pleasure of having lunch with his family and some of his kids’ friends today. It was a rare treat to get everyone together at the end of a very long school year. It doesn’t happen very often, so the Gorilla was thrilled by the idea–at first that is. Everyone was sitting around chatting to one another and the vibe was good. Things seemed to be going well and the food was ordered, but then…it all went downhill.  Parents, pay attention to this familiar scene; suddenly, every person at the table had an electronic device of some kind in hand and was either texting, playing a game, or talking on the phone. It all happened so quickly that before the Gorilla knew it, all of them were preoccupied with something other than having lunch. It was a depressing scene that left the Gorilla wondering….are people losing their social skills because of technology? Studies have shown that in fact, they are.  By social skills, we mean the ability to sit and talk with others comfortably, normally, and with no outside entertainment or stimulation. Some scientists and psychologists are quite concerned about the effects of so much wired time, much of it spent multi-tasking. Aside from the more visible consequences of so much screen time — lots of children who don’t get enough exercise and higher obesity rates — they believe there may be troubling developmental, learning, and social ramifications. But what can we do when it’s just the society they (and we) live in?  As adults we argue about it, we worry about it, but our kids don’t because they are already in it, and it’s perfectly normal for them, so they don’t think to question it. It’s a perfect example of one generation questioning the next. It’s exactly what was done to us, and we didn’t suffer any harm from the Walkmans we had, or the Atari games we played for hours on end. So why then do we worry so heavily about our kids’ computer time, video game playing, texting, or cell phone use? Have we ourselves suddenly morphed into one of those same nay sayers who used to question us? Or do we have a legitimate concern with our youth always being so connected?  Like many psychologists, the Gorilla believes that having great well-rounded kids involves making boundaries, plain and simple. Set your kids’ phones to only allow a certain amount of texts per day (yes, you can). Set their phones to only allow calls or use during certain times as well. Limit computer times and websites they can visit (if they are younger). Limit the amount of play time with video games. Besides, having limits on just about everything they do, it  

will teach them self-control in the process. Now, you may be asking what the outcome of the lunch was, and here is the where the happy ending comes in. It was quite simple really; the Gorilla made everyone at the table shut off their electronic devices until lunch was over. Yes, they hemmed and hawed at first and then they all had a great time sharing stories, personalities, and good times over a meal- minus the outside stimulus- and guess what? They all survived! Surprising isn’t it?