Ask Boomer Al The official Know-it-All of Boomer Journals Archive | Current Issue From the jerks that challenge your attitude to political stupidity that eats your brain ... "Ask Boomer Al" deals with the issues that affect your life. Wit, wisdom, and humor ... sometimes it's hard to tell the difference. Hard hitting, no holds barred Boomer opinions and interaction (that's a laugh) where your opinions are basically ignored. OK Helen ... she said that was rude. Can't a guy have any fun :)

Ask Boomer Al ... current questions

Issue #72; December 15, 2003 Ask Boomer Al is the fun newsletter of BoomerJournals.com. If you don't want to receive it, we don't want to send it to you. Unsubscribe info is located at the bottom of each issue. _.·´¯) Contents (¯`·._ 1) This week's questions 2) What's up with this? 3) Boomer HA! HA! 4) Attitude Counts! _.·´¯) Questions (¯`·._ Ask Boomer Al Issue #72 December 15, 2003 Dear Al I hate wearing a wedding ring or any ring. My wife wants me to wear it and says she’s hurt by me not wanting to wear it. I love her but I don’t feel comfortable with it on. I promised her I would do what you suggest. We like your column. Dave Dear Dave I wore a wedding ring for the first ten years of marriage. I did so proudly of a sign of my faithfulness and to announce to others that I was in a committed relationship. I bought a furniture repair business and it became too dangerous to wear a ring because of the hand tools I worked with and the potential for injury. I would wear my ring on days off but eventually, as I matured, it no longer fit. By then my wife and I were solid enough in our relationship that rings didn’t matter. Today neither my wife nor I wear wedding rings, but we do wear rings. We’ve spoken of buying new wedding rings on occasion but it has never been a high priority for us. When you’re young and married the ring is a source of identification and pride. It’s something you need and cherish as a symbol of your love and commitment to another person. When that ring is removed for no valid reason other than I don’t like rings it is natural for the partner to wonder what is on your mind. Lacking a better reason than you gave to not wear a ring I feel your wife is right to wonder about your feelings toward your marriage and whether or not you still have a little wanderer in you. Consider the possibility that someone else asked her why you don’t wear your ring and she really had no answer. You seem to lack one also. The choice is yours for the message you want to give until you’re both mature enough to handle it either way. It’s a small price to pay to show your love. Al Dear Al My wife and I buy vitamins at a low cost from Wal-Mart. We have friends who keep trying to get us to buy vitamins from them. They say their vitamins are better but they are three times the cost of what we are spending now. I heard most of these vitamins are manufactured by the same companies anyway. What’s the truth? Keep up the good work. We like your column and look forward to it every week. William Dear William Your question is a complicated one because there isn’t a pat answer. Price is an indicator but not always a reliable one. Many people who sell vitamins outside of traditional retailing do so as part of some type of MLM business. These products are generally overpriced at the retail level to support the commission structure. Even the wholesale prices tend to be higher than is justifiable, but not always. There are many web sites that sell vitamins and you are indeed right that many of these buy from the same manufacturers who sell and bottle in bulk to many of these vendors. When it comes to quality it gets a little more complex. The FDA does not regulate vitamins and herbs as they do drugs. Testing is generally voluntary but the good companies have their ingredients assayed regularly to assure potency and quality. Any legitimate quality vitamin manufacturer will make these tests available to the public upon request. There have been many innovations in the supplement industry over the last few years so buying vitamins and herbs at most pharmacies, supermarkets, and discount stores is not always a good choice. Many inexpensive vitamins today are not natural ingredients but synthetic chemicals that are not easily absorbed into the body. Federal guidelines permit manufacturers to claim up to 20% more on the label than the tablet actually contains and binding agents and coatings can make them difficult to digest. I always look for natural ingredients and a brand name with longevity and a history for producing quality. I use fish oil, for example, for its many health benefits. I buy Carlson of Norway because they are one of the most dependable names in the world for fish oil. It is of pharmaceutical grade and is regularly tested by an independent FDA approved lab for potency, purity, and is certified to be free of any traceable amounts of toxins such as PCB’s. I also drink liquid vitamins made from natural ingredients because they are more readily absorbed into the body. I am very particular as to what I buy so I study every purchase carefully. I am a believer in alternative medicine and I get guidance on supplements from a physician who is an Internist and very knowledgeable on supplements. I buy only the best and they do tend to be more expensive. Herbs and vitamins are drugs and should be used with caution. Go to your favorite bookstore and read up on the topic so you can become a wise consumer. Remember that the best sources of nutrition are fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats from animals, poultry, and fish that are free of antibiotics and consumed in modest amounts. Eggs are a superior source of protein and can be eaten daily without adverse effect according to the latest studies. I eat eggs daily and have reduced my cholesterol by fifty points over the last year. Keep your body hydrated with plenty of fresh water, consume complex carbohydrates and sugars in modest amounts, especially as you age, and get regular exercise. There are vitamin and herb stores in most major cities across the country. Some are excellent and others are just storefronts with untrained people selling pills. Find a store with a competent staff who can guide you to safe purchases and avoid buying vitamins from infomercials, discount chains, and here today gone tomorrow MLM companies. You just don’t know what you’re getting. It’s an industry where the buyer should beware. This does not mean your friends are promoting an inferior product, nor does it mean that buying good vitamins at discount prices is not possible. This is my opinion as a believer in herb and vitamin use. You need to do your own homework when it comes to your health. Al Need to buy or sell a house ... check this out! _.·´¯)What's up with this?(¯`·._ The news of the day is obviously the capture of Saddam hiding in a hole with 750 large on a farm near his hometown. Finding him was like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. Congrats to our troops. This will be a boost to them, our government, and the Iraqi people. Have you been noticing the number of anti Christian activities going on over the Christmas holiday celebration. The dumbest one I heard this week was a music teacher removing the word Christmas in Christmas songs and replacing it with winter for a school assembly. Another ruling approved of the Jewish and Islamic symbols for holiday display but not the Christmas nativity scene. Last time I checked, Christmas was a national holiday. The holiday was originally to celebrate the birth of Christ. I realize a host of secular activities have grown around the holiday over the years and that's OK ... but it's getting just plain ridiculous. The liberal establishment will not be happy until they have completely undermined the very foundation of our nation. Can they be this short sighted? Yes. Like it or not our nation was founded on Judeo-Christian ethics. Get over it. What's the point here? Have you ever wondered? I do. I guess Jesus Christ was a bad person who will hurt our youth if they hear his name. I think the politically correct police have lost their marbles now. If we let it our American culture will be completely destroyed and we'll become another milk toast stand for nothing and do nothing nation like many of the wussy western european nations have become. We aren't perfect but who else in the world would take on the tyrants if not us? There I go again ... being irritating. Just my opinion. Don't like it? So tell me off at ... The Forum at Boomer Journals _.·´¯) Boomer Ha Ha! (¯`·._ Money talks at Christmas ... it says goodbye! :) _.·´¯)Attitude Counts! (¯`·._ "One who trusts not others should be trusted least of all." Greek Proverb Have fun. It's later than you think. Al Check out my Home Business E-book ... Typical "Boomer Al" irreverent humor and lessons from over the years. Remember that it's an e-file ... not a paper book so download it after you pay for it :) Basics of Small and Home Based Business _.·´¯) General Info (¯`·._ Ask Boomer Al is an opt-in ezine available by subscription only. We do not use or endorse the use of spam. Your e-mail address is safe, and will never distributed for reason. Ask Boomer Al is a copyright @ BoomerJournals.com To contact us with feedback, questions or kudos, e-mail editor@BoomerJournals.com To subscribe, please go to: Subscribe Enter your email address, select "subscribe" and submit! To unsubscribe, please go to: Unsubscribe Enter the email address you would like to remove from our list. Select "unsubscribe" and submit the form. Please feel free to use exerpts from this newsletter as long as you give credit with a link to our page: http://www.BoomerJournals.com _.·´¯) Help Us Grow! (¯`·._ If you enjoyed this ezine, please forward it to a friend or two and help us grow. Thank you.; Al LeBlanc Send this page to a friend! Your name: Your email: Your friend's name Your friend's email Include a personal note;

Ask Boomer Al: Archive;

Issue #1 July 1, 2002 Issue #2 July 8, 2002 Issue #3 July 15, 2002 Issue #4 July 22, 2002 Issue #5 July 29, 2002 Issue #6 August 5, 2002 Issue #7 August 12, 2002 Issue #8 August 19, 2002 Issue #9 August 26, 2002 Issue #10, September 2, 2002 Issue #11, September 9, 2002 Issue #12, September 16, 2002 Issue #13, September 23, 2002 Issue #14, September 30, 2002 Issue #15, October 7, 2002 Issue #16, October 14, 2002 Issue #17, October 21 , 2002 Issue #18, October 28 , 2002 Issue #19, November 4, 2002 Issue #20, November 11, 2002 Issue #21, November 18, 2002 Issue #22, November 25, 2002 Issue #23, December 9, 2002 Issue #24, December 16, 2002 Issue #25, December 23, 2002 Issue #26, December 30, 2002 Issue #27, January 6, 2003 Issue #28, January 13, 2003 Issue #29, January 20, 2003 Issue #30, January 27, 2003 Issue #31, February 3, 2003 Issue #32, February 10, 2003 Issue #33, February 17, 2003 Issue #34, February 24, 2003 Issue #35, March 3, 2003 Issue #36, March 10, 2003 Issue #37, March 17, 2003 Issue #38, March 24, 2003 Issue #39, March 31, 2003 Issue #40, April 7, 2003 Issue #41, April 7, 2003 Issue #42, April 14, 2003 Issue #43, April 21, 2003 Issue #44, May 12, 2003 Issue #45, May 19, 2003 Issue #46, May 26, 2003 Issue #47, June 2, 2003 Issue #48; June 9, 2003 Issue #49; June 16, 2003 Issue #50; June 23, 2003 Issue #51; June 30, 2003 Issue #52; July 7, 2003 Issue #53; July 14, 2003 Issue #54; July 21, 2003 Issue #55; July 28, 2003 Issue #58; August 11, 2003 Issue #59; September 8, 2003 Issue #60; September 22, 2003 Issue #61; September 29, 2003 Issue #64; October 20, 2003 Issue #66; November 3, 2003 Issue #67; November 10, 2003 Issue #68; November 17, 2003 Issue #69; November 24, 2003 Issue #70; December 1, 2003 Issue #71; December 8, 2003