Happy Memorial Day

To those in the USA: Happy Memorial Day - and blessings to those who protect us, both past and present.

Short Duckling Update

We'll keep this short, this week. Not much to report. The little guys - still 14 as of this writing - are growing as if they may have descended from elephants.

About half a dozen of them eat out of my hand, now. And, one in particular, I seem to be falling in love with. Even after swearing I wouldn't get attached to them - or name them - until they are old enough to be considered safe.

She (I think it's a she) looks a bit delicate and dainty compared to the others. She has a very high-pitched “peep” she addresses me with to give her a treat. That's one of the reasons I think she may be female - that peep may be a precursor to a quack. Some of the others have stopped peeping.

So, I named her Tinkerbell, quite automatically. And, I call her “Tink.” Even though she looks delicate, she seems quite strong, so I'm hoping her appearance is deceiving.

The bad news is - the adult ducks are all grumpy. Dora started to molt, and they all followed suit. I've seen both Leroy and Cody snap at the babies.

In fact, Cody (believe it, or not) actually went after one. I was outside and saw it, so I yelled his name - loud and sharp. He stopped and came to the bank and looked at me. Then, went about his business.

Since I've read that drakes will sometimes kill ducklings, I'm now holding my breath. Just when I was starting to relax - thinking they are safer, now! So far, this only happens in the water. On land, they seem to be fine. No clue.

Cody tends to be grumpy, anyway. He has so much to do, you see, taking care of his unruly flock. But, if he kills any of those ducklings, they'll be looking for a new caretaker, 'cause Cody will be roast duck!

Have a awesome week, and ... Keep on Keepin' On!

     jl

Join me on Twitter - twitter.com/jlscott_iCop

"Too Many Things WAY Out of Control"

I'm going to try not to get on a giant roll, today. However, it just seems to me things in this world are spinning out of control. And, needless to say - it's pissing me off.

For instance, I need to give you a couple of warnings, today ...

This first situation can happen in any country. It isn't unique to the USA, yet these chemical bottle bombs have been found in both Michigan and Massachusetts (at least) - in peoples' yards.

They seem to think young people are responsible for this. Based on the way I see children act these days - with no attempt on the part of parents to rein them in - I don't doubt that for a minute.

This page on Snopes tells you what these bottle bombs look like and what to do if you see a suspicious bottle. Good rule would be to leave ALL empty bottles alone if they have anything in them. If you can't tell, err on the side of caution!

www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/bottlebomb.asp

It isn't any secret how I feel about the giant corporations running the world. The ones that work my nerves the worst all seem to be related to the medical profession. This is especially true for the pharmaceutical companies - and their side-kick the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Although I would never tell anyone not to take doctor prescribed prescription drugs, I won't touch the stuff. I did take one for a short period of time to help me stop smoking. I had to balance the risks involved with continuing to smoke.

In that case - the drug won. Smoking was a physical addiction that needed to be broken, and the drug did that. But, I got off that sucker PDQ.

Although I'm an old hand at controlling my health with my mind, I ain't stupid. I know certain foods and supplements are needed for optimal health. Hell, they taught us that in second grade!

Now, the FDA is beginning to ban any claims on any product that reveals its health benefits. Why?

Well, it's common knowledge the cost of the ingredients in one prescription pill is a minute fraction of the price that's charged to the consumer.

The BIG BUCKS paid for prescriptions are needed to pay for the advertising to convince people to hound their doctors for medications they don't need! Medications for symptoms, which by taking them can mask a serious disease!

Take a look at the FDA's letter to Diamond Food, Inc. Due to statements made on Diamond's web site, the FDA now claims their walnuts are a “drug” - and need a “new drug application” to be marketed as healthful!

i-cop.org/go/YWF3Vqnc

On the other hand, Frito-Lay is allowed to claim their snacks are “heart healthy” on their web site. Frito-Lay is owned by PepsiCo. Can you say strong lobby?

What do YOU Have on YOUR Web Site?

“References to peer-reviewed scientific studies are not allowed to be made by companies without permission from the FDA because the agency considers this to be an illegal health claim.

So if you sell walnuts, and your web site merely links to published scientific studies that describe the cholesterol-lowering benefits of walnuts, then you can be threatened, arrested, imprisoned and fined millions of dollars by the FDA for selling "unapproved drugs."

This applies to ANY food, and ANY vitamin or supplement!

i-cop.org/go/NzYR

There's a Congressional bill now to stop this nonsense. Want to make any bets on whether it gets passed? I'm betting it won't.

No money in it!

Duckling Update

WHEW! Last week was a crazy week! Too many things flying around all demanding attention - online and off. Luckily, I have a terrific article for you today from an “outside” writer.

But, First ... the Duckling Update

As of this writing on Friday, we still have 14 babies, and what a band of little outlaws they are! Every day, I see Adorable Dora teach them something else about being grown up. They always take it and run with it!

Right now, I'm watching them swim together about 15 feet out in front of Dora. Either she told them ahead of time, or they decided where they're going to hang out this morning. And that's where they're headed - to a shady spot on other side of the lake.

They are at least as big at 17 days as Alex was at three weeks, last year. Of course, that could be because of the food they forage for themselves in addition to what I feed them.

One of them finally decided to take something from my hand, yesterday. It almost did it the day before, but Mom moved in and stopped it. Yesterday, she allowed it.

I've read repeatedly that daddy ducks do not take care of their baby mamas or the ducklings. Ha! They should see this outfit!

We have outside lights here for night time. Last night, I looked out and saw Dora, Leroy, Jake and Cody all lying in a fairly close circle (or square, if you prefer) on the bank of the lake with all the babies in the middle. I tried to get a photo, but they were too far away. Amazingly cute!

To Answer a Couple of Questions ...

Someone wrote and asked me why I hadn't mentioned any of the ducklings looking as if they belong to Cody (The turkey-sized Caretaker) when I named the rest of the drakes. Well, for some reason I don't understand, Cody doesn't mate. But, he also doesn't quack, so I know he isn't female.

Maybe he's too busy acting as the patriarch and taking care of the rest of the flock. He's also the only one of the riff-raff bunch that won't eat out of my hand. (The mallards never have, either.) Cody is just a little different. He'll only occasionally even eat a treat from me if I throw it to him. Mostly, he completely snubs me, although he does come up to the patio.

The second question was from someone who had always believed barnyard-type ducks don't fly. Yet I mention these flying.

Well, Cody started it. He hangs out with the mallards about a third of the time, although he'll protect his own flock from them. Then, he learned he could fly, too. I don't know if it's because he has enough mallard in him, or just because he's so big and has such powerful wings.

Next, was Dora. She learned it could get her away from the unwelcome advances of the mallards faster. She never flies high like Cody, but I have seen her fly almost clear across the lake, maybe four or five feet off the water.

Next, Leroy - who flies about like Dora. Jake doesn't fly except for very short distances when he's in a hurry to get to the lake.

It might be because he's the smallest and may not have the strength of the others. You wouldn't know it to see him chase those mallards, though. He's quite ferocious when he's after them.

So, again, I have no explanation. I only know what they do.

I just realized this morning one of the reasons I write so much about ducks and things at the lake. I am so enraged at some of the crap going on in the world, this keeps me in the safe zone.

Maybe this is a warning. I'm not really sure how much longer I'm going to be able to keep my mouth shut - or my "pen" quiet. And, that's all I've got to say about that ... for now.

Traffic

I still haven't come up with a new traffic system for us to experiment with. The last one certainly brought in more traffic - but nothing like it promised. But, then promises are seldom produced when it comes to web traffic.

We'll come back to this as soon as I have time to find another one for us to try.

PayPal and Other Business Challenges

PayPal must have an idiot running their department that handles secondary funding sources, i.e., our credit card and banking information. I can't help but wonder how hard it is to live this stupid.

As you may know, when you update credit card or banking information at PayPal, they may cancel all your subscriptions. If you remove the old information before adding the new - it's all gone.

Now, it seems they are canceling subscriptions when someone's credit card expires - if you are using a credit card as your secondary funding source. Ridiculous!

But, far be it from them to simply send you a notice that your card needs to be updated. Rather, they'll let your membership companies deal with the situation of unintentional canceled subscriptions! Not to mention they are wasting our time dealing with their asinine business policies! UMPH!

My other business challenge is this: I love getting to know my readers on a more personal level. I've learned so much about you in the past few months - especially, what fascinating lives you lead.

The problem with that is, although I like having you think of me as a friend, I still have a business to run. And, friendship can get in the way of that.

Since I live The MASTER COURSE, I always manifest whatever I need. I don't say, “whatever I want” because I don't bother with that much, anymore. Been there - done that. It works, and that's all I needed to know.

I have no interest in making a fortune, or even the big bucks. I've already done that in my lifetime and it was a giant PITA. Why would I want to go back?

I also tend to give away most of what I have, anyway. And, I'm okay with that. It's what I do.

However - iCop is a lot of hard work. And this organization must adhere to good business practices. Otherwise, what kind of example am I setting for other online businesses?

iCop is well-known and makes a positive statement on the World Wide Web. I know that for a fact. I also know what, maybe, you don't - that iCop turns down almost as many new members as we accept.

Therefore, iCop ain't always rollin' in dough, like many folks think. iCop still has to pay the bills to stay in business - just like everyone else!

I do everything I can to give you as much as possible, whether it's “freebies” or working with you to the extent I can if you're having a hard time.

So, please don't give in to the impulse to take advantage of our friendship. Business is business, and it has to stay that way.

No matter what else goes on, whether with PayPal or iCop, business needs to go on in the most professional way possible.

Have a fabulous week, and ... Keep on Keepin' On!

     jl

Join me on Twitter - twitter.com/jlscott_iCop