I stopped by the store where I regularly shop and asked the butchers about "pink slime". The store was originally a family owned local chain that was purchased by Safeway a few years ago. The butcher I spoke with said they do not used pink slime in any of the progucts they grind on site - but he couldn't say for sure if it was in any of the pre-packaged beef or frozen pre-formed patties or any of the other ground meat type products. SO - I am feeling a little better about my store in general, but I do think I will be making more and more purchases from the local organic grass-fed beef place 15 minutes away. Alexa

DHEA Facts long but very good info, read before you do any thing toyour body There are thousands of books and medical journals written on the subject of DHEA, so we will attempt to explain the facts in an easy to understand way, so you can better understand what is truth and what is fiction to help you make better choices about your health care. Dihydroepiandrosterone "DHEA" DHEA is a naturally occurring steroid hormone produced in the adrenal glands by both men and women, and it's the most abundant steroid hormone in the bloodstream. We are all born with natural DHEA, and our bodies continue to produce it on a daily basis, depending upon our physical circumstances. DHEA plays a key role in our physiological functions, and without it we cannot survive. There is much confusion and twisting of the facts regarding true DHEA naturally produced by our own body, and the synthetic drug which has been given a trade name of DHEA. We will call true DHEA "DHEA", and the synthetic drug "synthetic DHEA". We will touch base on that shortly, but in the meantime we will discuss some of the aspects of true DHEA, naturally produced by your own body. DHEA is the Mother Hormone DHEA IS CALLED THE "MOTHER HORMONE" for both men and women because it can be converted into other hormones the body needs on an as-need-be basis. For example: If your testosterone levels are too low, your DHEA hormone will naturally convert itself into more testosterone. The same holds true for estrogen, melatonin and most all other hormones. For this reason DHEA is called a regulator, because as your body naturally seeks to balance itself (i.e. the correct ratio of estrogen, testosterone, etc.), your DHEA hormone will naturally convert itself into whatever hormone your body happens to be low on. Healthy levels of DHEA are essential for the proper balance of all your other hormones. It acts as a universal hormone reservoir that supplies your body with whatever hormones are lacking, so as to keep your body in proper balance. (Dr. W. Regelson, a noted researcher, calls DHEA "The Mother Hormone, because the body can convert it into whatever it needs"). Because of the ability of the DHEA hormone to convert itself into other hormones, medical science has taken a huge interest, and billions of dollars have been spent in the research of this subject. If an individual's DHEA levels were healthy enough, there would be no need for estrogen, or testosterone, melatonin or other hormone replacements, as the DHEA hormone would naturally supply your body with whatever hormone your body happened to be lacking. Since your body is highly sensitive and brilliantly designed to heal and balance itself, your DHEA hormone naturally, instinctively supplies your body with the exact amount of hormone that it needs in order to achieve maximum balance. If you're a man and you have healthy levels of DHEA, your body will manufacture the proper amount of testosterone. If you're a woman and need more estrogen, your DHEA hormone will naturally provide your body with what it needs to function properly. Health Benefits DHEA is essential to sustain life, and there are numerous health benefits to having healthy levels of natural DHEA. Dr. Arthur Schwartz of the Temple University School of Medicine says that "DHEA appears to block the growth of carcinogens". A study at Johns Hopkins University shows that "DHEA is a very effective anti-obesity agent". Julian Whitaker, M.D. says, "DHEA is the closest we can come to the fountain of youth", and "The main thing cancer, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and chronic fatigue have in common is low levels of DHEA". We could go on and on about all the research, study and testing that shows multitudes of health benefits to having high levels of DHEA. But that's not such a great mystery, as you can find that information just about anywhere. Our goal is to reveal the mysteries as to why DHEA levels decrease, and more importantly why they increase. DHEA Levels DHEA levels are known to fall precipitously with age, falling 90% from age 20 to age 90. But this is only a superficial analysis, as there are many other variables involved that deplete one's DHEA levels. We have discovered that several people at younger ages had much lower levels than individuals who were older. One person who was in his early 20s worked for the electric company, and had dangerously low DHEA levels - much lower than people in their 70s. We discovered that being exposed to massive amounts of electricity was actually draining his DHEA to very dangerously low levels. We also observed several people who had relatively high DHEA levels, then suddenly over a 2 week period began decreasing dramatically. Because we personally knew these people and were able to monitor their DHEA-S blood levels, we were able to find out what they did that changed them. Everyone who had been taking high dosages of therapeutic vitamin C had lost significant amounts of DHEA. We discovered that manufactured vitamin C can be effective at cleansing the cells of toxic substances and helping to flush them out of the system. The problem with too much Vitamin C is that it also strips the body of nutrients, minerals, amino acids, and yes - it lowers DHEA. It acts like Drano on the system. It's a good way to clean out your pathways, but it can also create other problems in the process. DHEA and the Cells The interrelationship between DHEA and the cells is obviously very important. Our cells absorb nutrition and oxygen, which feeds our DHEA, progesterone and other hormones with the fuel they need to function properly. But when the cells are surrounded with too much waste material, it has a smothering effect which prevents the cells from absorbing what they need. Furthermore, toxic materials, such as air pollution, pesticides, synthetic residue left behind from various drugs can cause more serious damage to our cells. Toxic material is called free radicals, on a molecular level. Free radicals are unstable molecules that smash into the walls of our cells and eat them away. Free radicals are the molecular substance that causes metal to rust, food to decay and cancers to develop. Because of the toxins in our systems, we generally have a certain amount of free radicals that surround our cells, which prevents them from providing much needed energy to help the adrenals produce DHEA, not to mention all the other aspects relating to our health. Therefore, in order to substantially boost natural levels of DHEA, the cleansing of the cells has to be addressed. Providing nutrients to the cells is important, but if the cells cannot absorb properly, then much of the nutrients will be consumed in vain. DHEA & Progesterone Without enough natural progesterone in the body, extra stress will be put on the DHEA hormone. This can not only deplete it, but put undue stress on the adrenal glands, as the synthesis of cortisones is impaired. The body may then turn to an alternative pathway via adrenal production of androstenedione produced by fat in the body, which has androgenic side effects, causing long facial hairs on postmenopausal women and thinning of their scalp hair. When natural progesterone is supplemented, it is quite common to witness the disappearance of facial hair on women, and the return of healthy scalp hair. Therefore, natural progesterone is a key factor in the production and maintenance of healthy, natural DHEA. In a sense, the DHEA hormone indirectly draws the substance it needs from progesterone, and progesterone draws the substance it needs from the cells. Provided the cells are healthy, the body should naturally produce enough DHEA and progesterone to function properly. When progesterone levels are healthy, DHEA levels are also healthy. So we must also address the importance of progesterone when seeking to boost and maintain healthy levels of DHEA. Natural progesterone should not be confused with the synthetic progestins promoted by the pharmaceutical industry, and so often prescribed by physicians as progesterone substitutes. The truth is that these synthetic versions do not duplicate natural progesterone's full spectrum of benefits, and all carry multiple potential undesirable side effects. Progesterone is an important precursor in the biosynthesis of adrenal corticosteroids and of all the sex hormones, and provides many important intrinsic physiological functions, the lack of which can lead to symptoms often associated with aging as well. Unfortunately, all too many men are confused in thinking that progesterone is only a female hormone, but on the contrary, natural progesterone is a vital hormone that plays a key role in the health of both men and women. However, like natural DHEA, the question is how to boost natural progesterone to healthy levels for both men and women safely, with no side effects. Once again the answer is with safe and natural nutrition. Synthetic DHEA Synthetic DHEA is not true DHEA, but rather a chemically altered steroid drug. The molecules in synthetic DHEA are manufactured so as to imitate a real DHEA molecule, and in some respects it does share some of the characteristics. But it's not the same as your own DHEA, and yes there are many negative side effects. It's important to note that synthetic DHEA is a combination of synthetic chemicals that are toxic to the body, and these toxins remain in the body for a very long period of time. This toxic residue builds up, and has to go somewhere, so it rests in various parts of the body and becomes free radicals which destroy the cells. You can also overdose on synthetic DHEA because of the toxicity. The facts concerning synthetic DHEA and wild yam have been twisted, which has brought forth some confusion. I would like to shine some light on this subject in hopes of helping you understand. Wild yam in itself is a nutritional product that can provide many health benefits. Provided a good quality product is used and it is extracted properly, wild yam can be very beneficial and very safe, with no known side effects. The wild yam in Super-Plus is combined with natural amino acids. However, the wild yam in synthetic DHEA is combined with unnatural, synthetic chemical steroid drugs. The wild yam may be good, but the synthetic compounds are not. Many synthetic DHEA products use wild yam in their formula, which can confuse people. They say it's natural, when in fact the product as a whole is not natural, but dangerously synthetic. The wild yam part of synthetic DHEA in and of itself is no problem, but it is combined with synthetic compounds, which are the problem. It's the synthetic additives that make synthetic DHEA a very dangerous product that is known to have side effects, and yes the wild yam part of the product is great, but not the synthetic additives. I've heard some sales people call synthetic DHEA "natural", when in fact it says right on their ingredients list that it includes synthetic compounds. "A little leaven spoils the whole loaf", and a little synthetic additive can make a product very bad for your health. It's not a great mystery that synthetic DHEA is dangerous steroid drug, as many medical reports have been published and aired on national television media networks, including ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN, reporting numerous side effects of synthetic DHEA, that range from cancer, liver and kidney infection, to depression, dizziness, headaches, etc. A Closer Look at Super-Plus The difference between a DHEA Precursor and synthetic DHEA, which has been given the trade name "DHEA", is this - a DHEA precursor simply stimulates the body into producing its own natural DHEA. A precursor means a substance which precedes another substance, as in the case of a lemon stimulating saliva - a lemon could also be called a saliva precursor. Super-Plus is called a DHEA precursor because it successfully stimulates the body into producing its own natural DHEA, whereas synthetic DHEA is a chemical steroid drug manufactured to imitate the DHEA molecule. Do not confuse Super-Plus all natural DHEA precursor with the synthetic drug. Diosgenin is the Main Active Ingredient Found in Wild Yam Wild yam is known to boost natural progesterone and DHEA. Of all the different herbs, fruits and vegetables on our planet, wild yam is known to contain the highest concentration of the phytonutrients necessary for boosting the production of natural progesterone and DHEA. There are approximately 256 species of wild yam, and one of them happens to be the most appropriate for this purpose. It's important to mention that our product, Super-Plus, or any kind of wild yam in general does not convert to DHEA. The nutrients rather provide a nutritional food source to the bloodstream, which in turn stimulates the production of progesterone and natural DHEA. Like biting into a lemon stimulates the glands into producing saliva, the nutrients from the wild yam stimulate the adrenal glands into producing natural progesterone and DHEA. Remember, it's not synthetic DHEA, but natural DHEA that your body is producing, which is very important. Reports about negative side effects from DHEA are not concerning your own natural DHEA, but from the synthetic drug. Furthermore, the nutrients from the wild yam are not forcing the production of DHEA, but rather the body itself is drawing from the nutrients in order to create more natural DHEA. If in fact the body has enough DHEA and doesn't need to produce any more, then it will not produce any more, no matter how much wild yam is consumed. It is the body itself that determines how much DHEA it needs, and if it is low then it will naturally draw from the wild yam nutrients and produce more. This is why you can't overdose on natural wild yam, provided the nutrients are pure, clean and extracted properly. Obstacles to Overcome The obstacles to overcome in using natural sources of nutrition to boost DHEA include delivering sufficient amounts of the phytonutrient from the wild yam, known as diosgenin, to the bloodstream, and insuring that the cells will be clean enough to absorb it. There are several other basic issues, such as using a high enough quality of the wild yam itself, and of course extracting the purest hearts of the nutrients. But these problems were not that difficult to overcome, as Super-Plus is manufactured by one of the largest herbal manufacturers in the world, and they have the technology to properly extract the nutrients. Getting the actual pill to dissolve in the body so it could be metabolized is important, but that also wasn't difficult to accomplish. The major concern was bypassing the liver, as most all products consumed travel through the liver before reaching the bloodstream, and the liver neutralizes approximately 95% of the active ingredients. This means only 5% of the active ingredient from the wild yam would remain effective enough to provide the much-needed nutrients to the cells, therefore compromising the ability of the adrenal glands to produce significant amounts of DHEA. Then, even if the proper nutrients could be delivered to the cells, we still had the problem of the dirty cells. If the cells were too smothered with various toxins, free radicals and waste material, the nutrients would not be absorbed. These are some of the reasons many physicians turn to the use of synthetic DHEA, as they know that most all natural wild yam products are virtually ineffective - but because of all the negative side effects caused by synthetic DHEA it would be better to take your chances on low DHEA levels or try to eat better nutrition than to put artificial synthetic DHEA in your system. In either case, our goal was to find a way to use natural ingredients to boost natural DHEA safely so that we wouldn't have to suffer any side effects. We wanted to make a product so safe that even small children could consume it on a regular basis with no side effects. Super-Plus has been tried & tested for Over 7 Years Thanks be to the Most High, who created our bodies in the first place, as well as all the herbs, fruits and vegetables that we consume; and thanks to several physicians, scientists, researchers and our manufacturer, who had the technology necessary to put it all together, who helped us overcome the obstacles and produce a formula that accomplished its objective. After Super-Plus was produced, it was tested on several individuals, and while the results varied - as did the circumstances - they were incredible. One of our clients' DHEA-S blood level was 51 nanograms (ng), and after 2 1/2 months of consuming Super-Plus, her DHEA-S blood level rose to 1206 ng. Not all of our clients' DHEA-S levels had risen that high, but they were still very substantial. The Delivery System In order to cause the active ingredients from the wild yam to remain pure, effective and potent when it reaches the bloodstream, we had to design a new innovative delivery system that would bypass the liver on the first rapid pass so as to avoid the neutralization process which would otherwise make approximately 95% of the active ingredients ineffective. Therefore, thanks be to our amino acid specialist, we incorporated 3 branch chain amino acids into the formula. There are approximately 40 different types of amino acids, and of these different types of amino acids, 3 happen to serve our purposes: L-ISOLEUCINE, L-LEUCINE and L-VALINE. These three branch chain amino acids are "free form" pharmaceutical grade amino acids. The "L" means Levo, or "instant" from a biochemical sense, to the body for immediate use. And they just happen to have a different transport system. Instead of traveling through the liver on the first rapid pass, these 3 amino acids travel directly to the skeletal muscles, where they perform protein synthesis. Normally, when we consume food or other products, enzymatic breakdown first occurs in the mouth, then in the stomach, after which absorption takes place in the intestines. The primary factor for poor utilization is not in the absorption per se, but in the way the macromolecule is broken down into micromolecules in the liver. Most all foods consumed go through the intestines to the hepatic (liver) circulation through what is known as rapid first pass filtration. This process is designed to break down complex molecules into usable, absorbable forms. The problems associated with most nutritional products is that they are broken down by the extensive, rapid first pass filtration. Therefore most other nutritional products' active ingredients are destroyed in the liver rendering them unavailable as a whole molecule. Super-Plus has overcome the rapid destruction in the liver by utilizing a patented Branch Chain Amino Acid (BCAA) Transport mechanism. The Super-Plus product is absorbed through the specific branch chain amino acid pathways which bypass the liver and go directly into the skeletal muscles where metabolism of the BCAA takes place, leaving the active ingredients intact. The active ingredients then join the confluence of blood vessels surrounding the muscle tissue to enter the systemic circulation, thus stimulating the adrenal cortex (Zona Faciculata) to produce DHEA. To make it really easy to understand, picture a truck as being the amino acid and the wild yam as the trailer. The truck (amino acids) haul the trailer (wild yam) directly to the bloodstream, and then it separates, leaving the wild yam to be absorbed into the bloodstream and immediately metabolized. This bypassing of the liver means that 95% of the active ingredient won't be destroyed in the liver, but virtually all of the nutrients will remain effective. Because of the delivery system alone, the nutrients in Super-Plus are several times more effective than in most all other nutritional products. Cleansing the Cells Cleansing the cells properly is also an extremely important aspect to the success of the formula, because once we were able to get the nutrient to the metabolism, we still had to insure that the cells would be able to absorb it. And in order to accomplish this we had to address the toxins and free radicals that smother the cells, which prevent them from absorbing the nutrients. There we examined the different types of natural antioxidants, (nutritional supplements designed to cleanse the cells). Therapeutic vitamin C in high doses could cleanse the cells, but it also strips the body of vitamins, minerals and amino acids, and it lowers DHEA. Furthermore, manufactured vitamin C in high doses can have negative side effects. Thanks be to our manufacturers and other researchers, who had been working with us in the development of Super-Plus, as they helped shed light on a natural product called Pychnogenol. Flushing out Free Radicals RED GRAPE SKIN EXTRACT is the most potent form of Proanthacyanadin (Pychnogenol) available, and as such traps hydroxyl free radicals, traps lipid peroxides and free radicals, and markedly delays the onset of lipid peroxidation. To make it simple, what this does is to cleanse the cells of the toxic material that has a smothering effect. We also incorporate other Pychnogenols in our formula, such as grape seed and other natural ingredients designed to cleanse the cells, so they can take on more oxygen and nutrients. In so doing, we were able to insure that the cells would absorb much more of the much needed phytonutrients from the wild yam, thus they would have enough nutritional energy to sufficiently produce DHEA and progesterone (not to mention all the other health benefits associated with cleaner cells). Pychnogenol is reported as being up to 20 times more effective than vitamin C when it comes to dislodging free radicals and flushing them out of our system. But equally as important, if not more so is the safety factor. Proanthacyanadin, provided it's extracted properly, is the safest natural antioxidant known because it doesn't strip the body of essential nutrients - and it doesn't lower DHEA. Other Benefits There are several other nutritional ingredients incorporated into our formula to aid and assist in the delivery system, cleansing of the cells, strengthening the immune system, boosting of natural DHEA and progesterone, and render many other health benefits as well. You can find them on our Super-Plus page. These additional ingredients help explain some of the reasons why Super-Plus is so successful at boosting natural DHEA and progesterone safely. In fact, Super-Plus is U.S. RDA recommended for adults and children 4 years of age and older. The True Healer Please keep in mind that Super-Plus is not the real healer. In truth it's your own healing mechanism that does it. Thank God for our incredible healing mechanisms and for all the nutritional food we need to keep our bodies healthy. Super-Plus is a very specialized combination of nutritional herbs, fruit and vegetable extracts that are of the highest quality. The purest hearts of the best ingredients are extracted in such a way so as to provide the cleanest, safest and most concentrated phytonutrients, natural antioxidants and amino acids necessary to cleanse the cells, and boost the production of natural DHEA and progesterone. Other ingredients are designed to aid and assist in this process, including other natural ingredients, which boost the immune system, help with digestion, and numerous other nutritional health aids for the purpose of helping your body repair itself at the cellular level. It's your own body that does the healing, Super-Plus simply provides your body with the best source of nutrition to do what it does best. The Manufacturing Process of Super-Plus is Essential There is only one manufacturer of Super-Plus, because they have the experience, technology, reputation and resources necessary to extract the purest hearts of the phytonutrients and synergistically blend the amino acids with the wild yam molecules and other essential ingredients. Their quality control procedures are impeccable, and they have the technology necessary to perform all the necessary tasks which guarantee maximum effectiveness and safety. The red grape skin, Pychnogenols and other cell cleansing ingredients must be extracted properly and blended properly in order for the product to work. There are many aspects involved with the manufacturing of Super-Plus, and each step must be preformed with the greatest care, and because of this we have chosen the largest manufacturer of herbal products in the world to produce Super-Plus on our behalf. For over 7 years the Super-Plus formula has been thoroughly tested and found to be so safe, that even small children can consume it on a daily basis with no known side effects. CONCLUSION Our Creator designed our bodies with an incredible healing mechanism. Our immune systems and hormones are nothing short of miraculous, especially when you consider all the germs, viruses, diseases and pollutants we are exposed to. Thank God our bodies are designed to heal themselves at the cellular level, and to fight off most all the poisons that we inevitably ingest from the air we breath, food we eat, water we drink and the countless synthetic medications that most of us put into our bodies from time to time. Yes, even though we cannot avoid ingesting various pollutants that make us sick, which lower our natural DHEA and immune system, our bodies are still able to repair themselves. Even though stress and the environment can cause a smothering effect to our cells, weakening them and depleting our natural levels of DHEA, which in turn throws our other hormones off balance, our adrenal glands are still able to produce just enough DHEA to survive. There is a time however, when our bodies have reached a point of no return, in which our immune system and ability to produce DHEA is just so far gone that very little can be done to save it. While Super-Plus is not magic, it can give the body a very strong fighting chance. If the health problem has not gone too far, Super-Plus can significantly help the body recover. Continue Home Page Introduction Super-Plus Blood Tests Medical Testimonials Kids' Page Q&A Product Foreign Company Contact Us Order E-Mail Download Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.levo.com/dhea_facts.htm

Squirt, thanks! The umbrellas are quite sturdy, I just leave them out all the time even when we have storms come through (although I do keep them folded and tied unless we're outside). The poles are wood and flex which seems to help in high winds. We did end up putting a heavy base under the one that is through the table because in really high winds it would blow the whole table over! Since adding the base it's been fine. They are Key Largos, link is below. They were 90 bucks for two and shipping was only 6 bucks. Zoo, thanks so much, I appreciate it! We still love the Polywood, it's great to have the look of wood but with no maintenance at all! Now that we're into triple-digit temps here I can say that the dark blue does heat up more than the yellow and white, but it's not uncomfortable to sit on even when the sun is straight up. Quote: "The way I understand it, is the chlorinated water from the pool recirculates (?) thru the pump so the water over the rocks will help eliminate stuff. " That's correct, when the waterfall is running it's just diverting water that would be going through the pool returns and instead sending it over the rocks and into the pool. It's already gone through the filter and chlorinator or SWG at that point, so it's freshly chlorinated water. Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.patioumbrellas.com

old algebra- my GC is Eli Kogeman of Kogeman construction. He is on Monte Vista just north of Foothill. It is actually Upland, but most of his work is in Claremont. Did you get to the Claremont Heritage Tour in Sept? He did the addition, kitchen, bath and more on the house on 12th and Indian Hill. He actually made some of the outside shingles by hand to match the house. You can't tell which part is the old and the new. Lynn - I thought I had some better pics, but here is one of the FR looking into the kitchen. The grout is Linen From after demo