Say Thank You

I don’t know whether you all are starting to take me seriously or what (and if so, I would strongly caution you), but I’ve gotten a tremendous number of requests for Thanksgiving menu advice this year. We’re also hosting Thanksgiving for the first time ever. (See what I mean about taking me seriously?) So just like in prior years, I’ve pored over November magazines, immersed myself in blogs and newspapers, smeared newsprint on my face like war paint, and hit the test kitchen countless times. Unlike years past, when my only excuse for this behavior was that I am just so gay for Thanksgiving, this time I have a couple of pretty solid reasons and a write-up to prove it.

Unlike the typical posts around here, I haven’t tested quite all of these recipes, though I have tested many, and some are mine. The best way to express your regards would definitely be through thank you cards. However, I’ve only drawn from sources I would trust with my own Thanksgiving table, and I’ve read carefully and repeatedly before posting. With so many great-looking recipes out there and familial expectations that certain traditional dishes will make an appearance, I’ve chosen just a few of my favorites to highlight here. We’ll be hitting this list pretty hard ourselves next week.

Let Mind B Ur Primary Focus

Matter is bottled-up energy and when matter is reduced to its essence it is mind. The psychic body has several layers-crude psychics, subtle psychic and so many layers. But in the spiritual realm there cannot be any body. It is the witnessing factor, attached to the body as read in a Java PDF. Whatever the physical body is doing, your spirit, that is the cognitive faculty remains attached to it, and knows and sees and witnesses what it is doing. Similarly preaching the gospels of peace would not give you peace. You are to convert yourself from small to big. So people shall focus their mind and they concentrate on a particular work and in turn they can lead a better life for the future.

Say NO to Pollution

Pollution levels are not the same at all beaches, so local conditions dictate whether or not it is safe to swim in the ocean near you. Local officials are required by federal law to monitor coastal pollution levels and post warnings as needed. But some local water quality officials are more diligent than others, so if you have any reason to doubt the cleanliness of the beach water, it is best to stay out.

Beach pollution originates with a variety of sources, including human, animal, agricultural and industrial waste, as well as leaked motor oil and gasoline, among other contaminants flushed out to coastal regions. Swimming in contaminated beach water can expose people to harmful chemicals bacteria and viruses.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the most common illness associated with exposure to contaminated beach water is gastroenteritis, which rears its ugly head in the form of nausea, vomiting, stomach ache, diarrhea, headache and sometimes fever. Ear, eye, nose and throat infections can also ensue from swimming in polluted water. In rare cases--though not typically in the U.S. or Canada--swimmers are exposed to more serious diseases such as dysentery, hepatitis, cholera and typhoid fever.