The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
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I had been in Barra do Bugres, Mato Grosso for six months when they had to kill Pedrão. He was one of the four professional assassins, or pistoleiros I got to know during my six years in Brazil. I was never formally introduced to Pedrão, but saw him often in our small town. Over the years, I got to know three other shooters. They were all soft-spoken gentlemen, but Pedrão was different. He drank and could be a bully. He was always armed, as were a lot of people during th...
Dear Dietitian, I have a friend who drinks raw, unpasteurized milk. She claims it has many health benefits, and that pasteurization of milk is unnecessary. What do you think? Jim Dear Jim, The consumption of raw milk has gained popularity in recent years, and many people believe it is a healthier alternative to pasteurized milk. Let's take a look at what science says. Most of us are familiar with the term pasteurization, which is the process of heating food products like...
In September 1887, the railroad arrived at Fort Benton, signaling the end of the era of river trade, and it seemed the town would die. But a Canadian trade boom opened, resulting in the establishment of the 240-mile-long Whoop Up Trail pointing north to Fort Macleod, Alberta. Although plenty of legitimate commerce was carried out, the trail became known for the illegal whiskey transported on this dangerous and adventure-filled route. Fort Benton is one of the most fascinating...
I watch a lot of baseball during the season, which runs from April to the end of November. I enjoy the other televised sports, but with the disinterest of a cat looking out a window; they're just figures moving around behind a pane of glass. But I take baseball seriously. As chess is to board games and bridge is to cards, baseball is the most sophisticated version of field sports. The other major sports are quite simplistic and unsophisticated, and in almost all of the other s...
Dear Dietitian, Please settle an argument between my wife and me. Our eleven-year-old son is about twenty pounds overweight. My wife, who has been thin all her life, wants to put him on a diet to get him on the right track. I am against the idea of a diet. What do you think? Concerned Dad Dear Dad, While your son may be overweight, it is wise to approach this problem with a lasting solution instead of a weight loss diet. For the main reason, a diet is likely to begin a yo-yo...
Brazil is burning the Amazon again. Their new president has declared an open season on both the environment and indigenous people. I liked his rhetoric as a candidate, but that was just a politically moderate costume he used in order to win the voters. He's bad. But all the deforestation is blamed on the poor old cow. She's a horribly inefficient food source, so bad, in fact, that she hardly produces enough for the people who take care of her, much less a meat hungry public....
I have been guilty of placing myself at the center of the universe. My needs are most important, I have the solution, and everyone else must accept that. I would bet that everyone reading this has been guilty of that. It is our nature to place our comfort and well-being above others. Do I mean that this is always the case, no! But it is the pattern of mankind. So, what is the answer? It is really quite simple, and at the same time very complex. In Isaiah 55: 8-9 the prophet te...
Fort Benton rests along the mighty Missouri River. Founded in 1846, it's the oldest town in Montana. During its first century, Fort Benton would become a springboard for trade as goods would be offloaded at the navigable end of the Missouri River and transported west by wagon. Flood control and other initiatives in the 1940s rendered Sioux City the new head of navigation on the Missouri, as the Great Northern railroad would become the primary means of transportation to the...
Dear Dietitian, My thirteen-year-old daughter started a new healthy eating program about six months ago. She seems obsessed with healthy eating and sometimes refuses to eat when she stays over at a friend's house. I am concerned about her behavior. Is this something serious or will she grow out of it? Sheila Dear Sheila, The desire to eat right is a healthy, but too much of a good thing is no longer a good thing. New light is being shed on an obsessive pattern of eating known...
Dear Readers, It seems there is always a fad diet out there that, once and for all, will solve our problems. Many of us have been on these diets, myself included. Many years ago, I tried a diet where you followed a strict meal plan for 3 days, then ate whatever you wanted within reason, (whatever that means) for the following 3 days. The problem was I couldn't make it through the first three days! Wikipedia defines a fad diet as one that is popular for a time, similar to fads...
Loyalty to petrified opinion never yet broke a chain or freed a human soul. Mark Twain Inscribed under his bust in The Hall of Fame The U.S. owes the world an apology and a lot of money. Because of our insistence that we're the brightest and the strongest nation that ever existed, our country refuses to change from the archaic method of measuring mass and distance to a more logical way of calculation. Although the U.S. approved the change in 1866, it was never instituted, and...
Matt announced to his family that he was finally going to clean out the horse barn. With the passing of the work teams and the introduction of ATVs, horse barns are little used any more and tend to become storage sheds, full of quasi-junk - a long fall from when barns were the proud center of activity on every ranch or farm. His two teenage children didn't even try to hide their cynical smiles when they heard Matt's plans, and his wife started closing cupboard doors a little...
Debunking the Perception of “Self” Part 2 For those of you who were expecting a “Musing” last week I apologize. I have been so busy with ministry and family that come Monday morning last week all I could think of was taking my bow for a walk in the woods! It was around mid-afternoon I realized I had messed up and not written an article! Well let’s continue looking at how this idea of “self” can really mess things up. If you think about it, much of the depression we experience...
Note: This is excerpted from "The Missoula City Band: Stories in Time." By the end of the 19th century, the Garden City Band had improved enough to perform evening concerts regularly. They also found themselves accompanying fraternal organizations like the Modern Woodmen of America to conventions, playing in July 4 parades, following ball teams "up the 'Root" [the Bitterroot Valley] and continuing their annual performances at the fair. In April 1904, the band initiated the new...
Dear Dietitian, I've been experiencing a lot of digestive problems like stomach cramping and bloating. My friend who has celiac disease thinks I may have it, too. I have an appointment with my doctor and have been reading up on celiac disease. What is the difference in gluten sensitivity, celiac disease, and wheat allergy? Susan Dear Susan, It can be very disruptive to have a digestive problem, and I'm glad you are taking the right steps to get this resolved. First off,...
Note: This is excerpted from "The Missoula City Band: Stories in Time." By the mid-1890s, the City Band had emerged as the default 'go-to' organization in town for civic events. By 1894, it played at virtually every public function. On Oct. 17, 1894, Republicans opened their campaign at the new Bennett Opera House (across the street from the now razed historic Missoula Mercantile) with "the blaze of bonfires, the boom of anvils, and the melodious and stirring melodies by The...
As post-war baby boomers, most of us had parents who had suffered through the Great Depression, and then WWII. They faced the poverty of the 1930s and then the scarcity caused by rationing during the war. Both doing without and making do were part of our childhood culture. The 1950s were relatively affluent times, but the habits of constant economizing were so inculcated in the new parents of the day that we kids thought starvation was imminent. This philosophy elicited a lot...
Many of us know someone who has struggled with an addiction. Perhaps they have tried to quit smoking or are addicted to drugs like heroin or methamphetamine. The American Psychiatric Association defines addiction as a complex condition, a brain disease that is manifested by compulsive substance use despite harmful consequence. (1). Does substance addiction include food? Although food addiction is not included in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental...
The leaves fall early this autumn, in wind. The paired butterflies are already yellow with August. Over the grass in the West garden; They hurt me. I grow older. - Ezra Pound The River Merchant's Wife; A Lette (After Rihaku) I've been asked hundreds of times what attracted me to Brazil. I wonder myself. The easy going culture was important, certainly, but the main factor was the climate, which I think contributes to the relaxed ambiance of the entire nation. Those of us who...
The history of the Missoula City Band in many ways mirrors the history of Missoula, Montana. Since Missoula's virtual beginning – the time Montana was only a territory and not yet a state – the Missoula City Band played. Through two world wars and the Great Depression, through a surge of pioneers moving west and into contemporary times, its horns blew, reeds vibrated, drummers drummed and cymbals crashed. And our community has enjoyed many great performances. "The Mis...
Dear Dietitian, My teenage daughter was recently diagnosed with iron-deficiency anemia. She follows a vegan diet and has been taking a vegan supplement. Are these as good as regular iron pills? Mom Dear Mom, It is not uncommon for women of childbearing age to become iron deficient, especially if they have heavy menstrual periods. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency and the leading cause of...
I spent a large part of my youth fishing: the Blackfoot River, Nevada Creek, Brown's Lake, the small creeks near Helmville, plus the pond behind our house. We fished for a large variety: natives, browns, rainbows, brooks, and bull trout, depending on which water we were on. A small creek about three miles from us produced buckets of small natives, so hungry even the smaller kids could catch them. The fish that we hooked lightly were put in water and hauled to our pond to be...
Biblically speaking the idea of “self-assurance” is one area of thinking that can lead to many problems. If we think that we are the source of all our blessings (material and immaterial) we do God a great injustice. The Israelites were warned about this in Deuteronomy 8: 11-18: “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today; otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, an...
Dear Dietitian, I have acid reflux and gastroparesis, both are under good control with medication. I drink water and sugar-free sports drinks, and I'm getting tired of them. Are there other drinks you would recommend? I do not have diabetes. Sharon Dear Sharon, It is not uncommon for those who have gastroparesis to also have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). For those who are not familiar with gastroparesis, it is a condition where the actions of the stomach are slowed...
Dear Readers, You may have heard about an innovative approach to dietary intervention known as precision nutrition (PN). This approach includes individualized meal planning based on your DNA. It is more than what you eat, as it includes physical activity, sleep habits, family medical history, and your microbiome. Your microbiome is the collection of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites) living in certain areas of your body, mostly in your intestines. The pur...
