Category: candid

John Mahoney – 1940-2018

John Mahoney

John Mahoney: 1940-2018. I took this photo on location (Cholame, California) during filming of Almost Salinas (2000). John was easy to talk with and very friendly. Each morning as he left the Paso Robles Inn, he walked past our office with LA paper in hand, headed for Joe’s Restaurant for breakfast. He said he liked eating there because people did not bother him while he read and ate breakfast. I had some photos for him one morning and went to Joe’s to ask if he would stop by and meet our staff. He agreed and was very humorous and friendly. This smile epitomized the man we knew for a few weeks.

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Enriched Flour. What is it?

 

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This article taken from, ahealthiermichigan.org. Copyright listed below.

I was never one to read food labels. . .That was one of several reasons I found it difficult to conquer my obesity for over two decades. . .When someone tried to inform me of all the unhealthy ingredients in pizza, pasta or chicken nuggets, I just ignored their warnings.

You may be consuming some of the same unhealthy ingredients and not even realize it. Take a moment to read the ingredients of your favorite bread. Chances are the first ingredient is going to be enriched wheat flour. Do you know what “enriched” means? Neither did I.

Enriched flour is flour in which most of the natural vitamins and minerals have been extracted. This is done in order to give bread a finer texture and increase shelf life.

When the bran and the germ (the parts of the wheat that contain fiber and nutrients) are removed, your body absorbs wheat differently. Instead of being a slow process that gives you steady bursts of energy, your body breaks down enriched flour more quickly, which typically raises blood sugar more quickly as well. This excess blood sugar has to be metabolized by the liver, and if there’s an excess of sugar, your body will store some of it as fat.

Read that again: your body STORES IT AS FAT. All this and you’re not even getting close to the amount of nutrients that whole grains contain.

In other words, enriched flour sounds healthy but isn’t so healthy after all.

Okay, so what ingredient should you be looking for in your bread? Whole wheat flour or whole grain flour should be the first ingredient on the label of your bread because they are richer in dietary fiber, antioxidants, protein, dietary minerals — which includes magnesium, manganese, phosphorus and selenium — along with niacin, vitamin B6 and vitamin E. By eating whole grains you reduce the risk of certain cancers, coronary heart disease, digestive system diseases, diabetes and obesity.

I now read food labels and have found that there are many products that seem healthy at first, but in reality they are not. If the label on your favorite bread includes the words “soft wheat” or “multigrain,” make sure you still read the ingredients because the majority of these breads are mostly made with enriched flour. Even if the word “enriched” is not there, if it doesn’t say “whole,” then it’s the same stuff.

Also remember that even if the bread color is brown and has a very healthy appearance, unbleached wheat flour is still missing the bran and the germ that contain essential nutrients and fiber.

My suggestion? Try to look for food products that say 100 percent whole wheat or whole grain … the healthy stuff!

Below are the food items that commonly contain enriched flour:

Bread                                     Donuts                  Chicken nuggets – breaded

Cake                                      Pie Crust

Cookies                                 Crackers

Brownies                              Pasta

Pretzels                                 Pizza

What’s in Your Food? Enriched Flour Tops List of Unhealthy Ingredients. July 26, 2011. (c) ahealthiermichigan.org

Wasted Time

Wheat field gate

 

All his family and friends took turns in the hospital room, waiting for the inevitable. Death. Outside the family, looking in, most everyone who knew, read about, or worked with Stanley Robinson were certain his life of wealth and privilege was ending well. After all, he was responsible for so many innovations in the publishing industry. His combination of paper and electronic media revolutionized how news and information was broadcast. Stanley seemed to have a sixth sense about when to divest or invest. He invested millions in electronic news gathering equipment against the advice of all his fellow corporate moguls. As usual, he proved to be on the cutting edge. The money poured in faster than anyone expected or even dreamed.

And yet…what are those expressions on his family’s faces? Stanley’s wife seems disinterested, chatting on her cell phone with one of her attorneys. "Yes, Randolph. I wish to sell those stocks. I understand your hesitation but I am turning a new page in Stella Corporation’s history. No, future. Stanley is nearly gone and my signature is all you need."

Three children, Daniel in the room reading a novel, Priscilla and Sarah in the cafeteria, sipping coffee drinks, absently checking their watches. Not one of those faces carried emotional distress or even sadness on this final day.

"Mom. Would you like a coffee or tea?" Daniel asked. "I’m off to the cafeteria. I’ll send Sarah or Priscilla up."

"Excuse me, Randolph," she said to the phone. "Yes dear. I’d love an iced tea please." Back to the phone, "Go ahead Randolph. What about the Archimedes Yacht Company?"

And so it went on Stanley Robinson’s final day on earth. His last few breaths were ebbing now. His vision fading. His thoughts nearly obscure. And then he spoke to his wife, "Stella? Can you hear me?"

"Stanley. Did you speak dear? Was that you? Phillip," she called to her personal secretary, "get the children up here please. Immediately."

"Stella listen to me. I don’t have much time now. Please express my great sorrow to Daniel, Priscilla, and Sarah." He paused to catch his breath here. "Tell them that I am so sorry to have ignored them in favor of this business empire I’m leaving." At this point Stanley raised himself up onto his elbows. "Stella please forgive me for ignoring you as well. If only I’d had more time…"

Stanley Robinson fell back down on his bed, stared up at the ceiling and exhaled his final breath. Stella stared transfixed at the single tear falling down his face.

Moments later, the children entered his room. They looked at their father and then their mother. "He’s gone. He did have some final words for us." They looked at her, waiting for the conclusion. "He apologized for not spending enough time with all of you. He said he was sorry for just making lots of money instead of spending time with you. Oh, and he also asked me to forgive him based on the same failing."

As one, the Robinson family turned their eyes on Stanley, their absent father/husband. In an odd, eerie sort of way, he was once again absent from his family.