A Journey To Full Self-Expression

ONSLAUGHT - by Dove's Campaign For Real Beauty

2008-02-28T22:48:00.002-05:00

DISCOVERING THE WAY

2008-02-19T19:45:00.004-05:00

I am proud to share with you an essay by my friend Dennis that I think can make a difference in this world and support adults, both younger and older.

Discovering The Way

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2008

I write this essay to share my visions for Discovering the Way. The motivation is not only to express what the project can be, but also what it can do. My hope for this adventure is to bring young people together and promote greater connection. I wish I could be with every person who reads this essay, whether I know you or not, and share my thoughts directly. Unfortunately, all I have is this essay. Hopefully, it will be read aloud, experienced and felt. In doing this, I hope the words will speak not only to your minds, but your hearts as well.

Adults frequently ask for my opinions and reflections as a young person; “what do you believe is going on in the world?” “how do you feel?” “what would you do?”. I am never quite sure how to respond. They are important questions for which I know I am without all the answers. What I am certain of, however, is my passion for the subject; I believe in the power and promise of young people, and the hope for humanity.

Recently, I was inspired to begin a project that captures, explores and nurtures the voices of young adults in the world today. I envision this as a collective inquiry into the identity of our generation. Who are we, how did we get here, in what direction are we headed, and how does this reflect and impact society today? I want to bring together a book of essays by people in their 20’s that explores these questions. Our individual experiences, observations, beliefs and feelings offer rich material from which to learn. This essay is my entry into the initiative, which I am calling Discovering the Way. My visions and hopes for this project are my initial offering. Now I am asking for yours.

Our generation is filled with powerful leaders. We are young, talented, thoughtful and passionate: about life, each other and ourselves. The strengths I see in my fellow brothers and sisters are inspiring. I get excited thinking about the world we can, will and must create. The planet needs more love, peace, compassion, equality and justice. I think now is the perfect time for us to step up and leave our mark, to “be the change we wish to see in the world”.

Suffering is all around me. If I choose, I can easily distract myself with all the negatives in life: global warming, poverty, war, etc. The list goes on, and, at times, is overwhelming. Profound changes in our world are necessary. Humanity cannot keep living as it is; our trajectory is destined for disappointment. However, despite the anger, fear and sadness, there are still countless reasons for hope and joy. Every day something touches my heart. Beauty and happiness are everywhere, if only I take the time to see them. Knowing this, I am committed to focus on the positive and use my life to promote change. I believe others share these values, and I want this book to harness constructively that force.

This project is an opportunity to create conversation. Communication fosters respect and awareness, from which all else follows. Changes become possible when we listen and accept others diverse experiences, thoughts, feelings and ambitions. A society flourishes and real development occurs when we can love and respect our fellow neighbors, even if they disagree with us. To do this, everyone must be willing to enter into relation with one another. Instead of turning back at the first sign of difference, we must commit to continue moving forward by keeping our shared goals and values in sight. This requires a willingness to sacrifice and compromise, listen and contribute. We must dedicate ourselves to seeing the best in each other, knowing each of us is bound by the human condition and share similar aspirations.

For all the different views people hold, deep down I believe we all want the same things; peace, health, happiness, clean air and water, comfort, loving relationships, etc. The details of how these ambitions will look and how best to realize them are different for everyone. These differences are actually what create conflict, but we should recognize that the larger goals are still the same. If we join hands under the umbrella of these shared visions, then there is hope. Then we begin to Discover The Way.

Before we worry about what lies ahead, we must recognize where we are now. Here is where our project can make a difference. Awareness is the tree from which knowledge and wisdom can blossom. Without understanding, we act passively and unconsciously in the world. The world acts on us. Being conscious of the present, however, we can mindfully choose our next steps. When we act thoughtfully and deliberately, positive change is a natural result.

Discovering the Way is a journey into who we are as individuals, a generation and a culture; it is a purposeful and collective step forward in the direction of learning and understanding. With this project there is no judgment, right or wrong, good or bad, ‘us’ versus ‘them’. We must put this way of thinking behind us. There is no ‘them’; it is all ‘us’. We are all in this world together, united by our planet and shared humanity. Any hope for change necessitates placing differences aside and uniting. We must all come together now with our different backgrounds and identities, ideas and visions, shapes and colors, onto the canvas of this world and create our masterpiece. We will not all agree, nor should we, but we can work together and learn from each other. Uniting does not imply losing our individuality. There is no need for conformity on thought, word or deed. Instead, we are asking for humility, openness and support.

I hope this project awakens people: awakens awareness and understanding, curiosity and interest, compassion and inspiration. This book can be a messenger; a calling from the voices of my fellow brothers and sisters, speaking to a world awaiting our voice, wondering what our contributions will be. This project is a way to stand up and express who we are, what we believe in, and what gives our life purpose, value and fulfillment.

There are no bounds or restrictions about what to write. All is welcome, encouraged and necessary. I want you to share what your experiences have taught you about life, others and yourself. Feel free to discuss topics such as politics, media, religion, gender, spirituality, technology, environment, popular culture, race, sexuality, activism, war, work, music, parenting, travel, relationships, etc. In other words, whatever you want J. We, as a generation of individuals, do not fit in a box. Do not feel that your essays have to either. Anything that captures your voice is meaningful. There is no judgment in being ourselves: no greater power or influence exists than stepping into our authenticity. This is real leadership.

Many young people seek to be influential leaders. I believe our influence originates as much from who we are as what we do. It is how we live our lives that impacts other people the most. To become strong and effective leaders we must align our thoughts, words and actions. If we can integrate our bodies, minds and hearts, then we are powerful. Then we inspire others and become agents for change. The relationship between our individual development and our awareness of the world around us is interconnected. Without the commitment to our own transformation, we cannot nurture change in the world around us. Conversely, to facilitate our personal growth we must develop our understanding of other people and cultures. When we know and understand others, we better understand ourselves. Nurturing our relationship with people and the environment around us, we simultaneously cultivate our own self-understanding.
Discovering The Way is an opportunity to communicate and share, open up and listen; it is a lending of our voices, ears and hearts. Hopefully, our essays will cultivate greater support for and connection with each other, as we come to accept that what is true for one may not be so for another. Once there is respect and acceptance, the seeds of the garden are sown. We cannot go wrong. The fruits will bear peace and compassion, harmony and tolerance, agreements and resolutions. When the vision is to heighten our own awareness and understanding, then we cannot help but succeed. If listening to and learning from each other are the goals, excellence is possible. Working together like this, a global community becomes a reality.

I believe the possibilities are endless for what our generation can accomplish. Life will unfold from what we chose to do and create. With this chance to impact change comes individual and collective responsibility. I know I have a role to play. We all do. Action is required. There is no such thing as choosing not to act: everything is an action. The question is: will your action be helpful, constructive and transformative? Will it bring more love and healing to the world? The interconnectedness of life and the common future we share unites us all. Nobody is exempt. Nobody is unaffected. Everybody should care. What difference will you make?
I hope you will use and share your voice with me for this project. It should go without saying that your contributions and input are not just sought, they are needed and necessary. We all come with different gifts; no offering is better than another. Whatever you feel inspired to share is perfect. Anyone in their 20’s is welcome to participate. I want our passion and vision to be contagious, to spread one heart at a time.

In this project, hatred and anger are discouraged. I do not want this undertaking to be ‘anti’ anything or anyone. Optimism and positive thinking are preferred. Let us talk about what is as opposed to not what is not. Share what your experience was and not what it was lacking. Focus on your thoughts, feelings and beliefs.. I want to read about what we can do, and not who we need to blame. Your observations, solutions and reasons for hope are most helpful. Accusations are judgment are not effective. Selflessness and service are more important than fear, doubt and criticism.

I have created an email account (discoveringtheway@gmail.com) through which you can submit essays. There is also a blog (http://discoveringtheway.blogspot.com/), My Space page and Zaadz account (for convenience, both under my name, Dennis Kiley). A website may be forthcoming. If you have questions or comments please let me know. I want to create and bring together a book that belongs to all of us. That captures everyone’s voice. Any essays you want to share are appreciated. The parameters for these essays are loose; discuss any of the topics already mentioned, respond to thoughts and ideas I brought up, or come up with your own ideas. As someone in your 20’s what do you have to say; what captures your voice? I ask that you keep each submission under 1,500 words. This is a project for everyone, but for simplicity, I ask that all submissions are by people in their 20’s. Please include a small paragraph describing yourself and a way to contact you. Through this and other conversation tools, I, like you, will begin Discovering The Way!

Ask what yoga can do for you?

2008-02-02T06:49:00.001-05:00

Krisnamacharya Yoga Film 1938 (silent)

2008-01-31T22:23:00.000-05:00

A teachers teacher! Fantastic!

Heath Ledger - 1979 - 2008

2008-01-23T07:38:00.001-05:00

Be sure to live life fully TODAY. We live as if tomorrow is promised. The next moment is not promised! Breath in and fully experience this moment. Buy the card now. Say "I love you" now. Send the email and express your appreciation now. Buy the gift now, don't wait for the calendar to say its Christmas or their birthday. DO IT NOW. LIVE LIFE FULLY NOW. BREATH IN and EXHALE fully now, relaxing in the space between the breaths.

Go Tom Brady!!!! I mean Pats! (blush!)

2008-01-15T07:42:00.000-05:00

Vitamin D3 May Play Role in Longevity

2008-01-12T23:04:00.001-05:00

A new study has found that vitamin D3 may slow aging by increasing the length of telomeres, the section of a chromosome that shortens as we age and when the body is subjected to increased inflammation.

The scientists studied the effects of vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol) on leukocyte telomere length (LTL) in 2,160 women aged 18 to 79 years. LTL, a predictor of aging-related disease, decreases with each cell cycle we undergo in our lifetimes and also during increased inflammation. Because vitamin D3 is a potent inhibitor of the proinflammatory response, it diminishes turnover of leukocytes. Consequently, the researchers hypothesized that vitamin D3 may have an effect on leukocyte telomere length in the subjects.

The study authors established a strong link between vitamin D3 levels and telomere length. They found that after taking into account the age of the subjects, women with higher vitamin D3 levels were more likely to have longer telomeres.

The results indicated that subjects with the highest levels of vitamin D3 had 107 more base pairs in their telomeres than subjects with the lowest levels of vitamin D3. This meant that the telomeres in the subjects with high vitamin D3 levels were five years younger than the telomeres in the subjects with low vitamin D3 levels. This difference was further accentuated by increased concentrations of C-reactive protein, a measure of systemic inflammation, in subjects with low vitamin D3 levels.

The researchers believe that the results demonstrate for the first time that people who have higher levels of vitamin D3 may age more slowly than people with lower levels of vitamin D3.

According to the study authors, “Our findings suggest that higher vitamin D concentrations, which are easily modifiable through nutritional supplementation, are associated with longer LTL,” which may explain the potentially beneficial effects of this vitamin on aging and age-related diseases.

Reference:

Richards JB, Valdes AM, Gardner JP, Paximadas D, Kimura M, Nessa A, Lu X, Surdulescu GL, Swaminathan R, Spector TD, Aviv A. Higher serum vitamin D concentrations are associated with longer leukocyte telomere length in women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Nov;86(5):1420-1425.

Immune Booster Soup

2008-01-11T22:40:00.000-05:00

4 cups of mushroom, vegetable or chicken broth
1 small yellow onion, chopped
4-10 cloves garlic, to taste, crushed and chopped
2 carrots, grated
4-8 shitake mushrooms, sliced
3 tablespoons grated gingerroot, to taste
1 fresh lemon, juiced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. Bring the broth, onion, garlic, carrots, mushrooms and gingerroot to a slow boil. Reduce heat and simmer on low, covered for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
2. Remove from heat; add the lemon juice and parsley. Cover and steep for 5 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Yoga Journal. Provided by Debra Brammer, N.D.

This soup is easy to make and delicious. The freshness is evident from first taste. The fresh lemon juice makes a difference. There is a near immediate warming feeling inside after eating. I love it!

Strength In Emotion

2008-01-07T17:21:00.001-05:00

Change the Way You Think About Food

2007-12-28T13:49:00.000-05:00

Here’s how to overcome temptation and guilt and forge a healthier relationship with food.

“Sarah” (not her real name) remembers one particularly argumentative telephone call from her ex-husband a few years ago, a call that really set her off. “I felt so uncomfortable and inadequate,” the 57-year-old Vermont-based social worker remembers, “the thought of candy just popped into my mind, and I couldn’t get rid of it. It was almost as if I was having two conversations. One was with him, fighting, and the other was with myself, saying, ‘When can I go out and get that candy?’” Long after she’d hung up, the visions of sweet treats remained, tempting and specific: “It was Pepsi, and three different types of candy,” she recalls distinctly. “Pull-apart Twizzlers, Skor bars and Butterfinger bars.” Though it was the middle of a workday, Sarah couldn’t concentrate on her work or think of anything else until she went out and bought the candy and soda. “I ate them all in my car, really fast,” she remembers. “And then, like always, I felt terrible about myself for being so weak.”

Continue article here.

All honor to a brave, strong and courageous woman

2007-12-27T15:50:00.000-05:00

(CNN) -- Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated Thursday in Rawalpindi, was the first female prime minister of Pakistan and of any Islamic nation. She led Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 1996.

Benazir Bhutto died Thursday after a suicide bombing at a political rally in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

Bhutto, 54, spent eight years in self-imposed exile in Great Britain and Dubai after President Farooq Leghari dismissed her second administration amid accusations of corruption, intimidation of the judiciary, a breakdown of law and order, and undermining the justice system.

She was found guilty of corruption and sentenced to five years in prison. The conviction was later overturned but she remained in exile until this year.

She returned to Pakistan in October after President Pervez Musharraf signed an amnesty lifting corruption charges.

In a September 26 interview on CNN's "The Situation Room," Bhutto said she expected threats against her life as she prepared to lead a push for the restoration of democracy in Pakistan.

"After military dictatorship an anarchic situation developed, which the terrorists and Osama (bin Laden) have exploited," she told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "They don't want democracy, they don't want me back, and they don't believe in women governing nations, so they will try to plot against me.

"But these are risks that must be taken. I'm prepared to take them," she said.

Bhutto narrowly escaped injury on October 18 when a suicide bombing near her convoy in Karachi killed 126 people.

"Soon thereafter, I was asked by authorities not to travel in cars with tinted windows -- which protected me from identification by terrorists -- or travel with privately armed guards," she wrote for CNN.com in November.

"I began to feel the net was being tightened around me when police security outside my home in Karachi was reduced, even as I was told that other assassination plots were in the offing."

"I decided not to be holed up in my home, a virtual prisoner," she wrote. "I went to my ancestral village of Larkana to pray at my father's grave. Everywhere, the people rallied around me in a frenzy of joy. I feel humbled by their love and trust."

Musharraf declared a state of emergency and placed Bhutto under house arrest twice in November as anti-government rallies grew in Rawalpindi. The arrest warrant was lifted November 16.

She filed a nomination paper for a parliamentary seat on November 25 and appeared headed for a power showdown with Musharraf before she was assassinated Thursday.

Bhutto was the daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, former president and prime minister of Pakistan, who was hanged in 1979 for the murder of a political opponent two years after he was ousted as prime minister in a military coup. Benazir Bhutto was the de facto leader of her father's Pakistan People's Party.

Her brother, Murtaza, was killed along with six others in a 1996 shootout with police at his home. Another brother, Shahnawaz, died mysteriously in France in 1985.

"I know the past is tragic, but I'm an optimist by nature," Bhutto told Blitzer in September. "I put my faith in the people of Pakistan, I put my faith in God. I feel that what I am doing is for a good cause, for a right cause -- to save Pakistan from extremists and militants and to build regional security.

"I know the danger is out there, but I'm prepared to take those risks."

Benazir Bhutto earned degrees from Radcliffe College and Oxford University and received an honorary degree from Harvard University in 1989.

She leaves her husband of 20 years, Asif Ali Zardari, two daughters and a son.

Bhutto's husband issued a statement Thursday from his home in Dubai saying, "All I can say is we're devastated, it's a total shock."

President Bush, on his ranch in Crawford, Texas, said Bhutto "refused to allow assassins to dictate the course of her country."

"We stand with the people of Pakistan in their struggle against the forces of terror and extremism," Bush said. "We urge them to honor Benazir Bhutto's memory by continuing with the democratic process for which she so bravely gave her life."

From cnn.com

A treat from Patti Labelle - Fantastic!!

2007-12-25T20:12:00.001-05:00

Mad Cowboy: The Documentary

2007-12-25T11:20:00.000-05:00

The DVD is based on the book with recent updates by Howard F. Lyman. His book entitled, Mad Cowboy: Plain truth from a cattle rancher who won't eat meat, changed the way many feel about the food they put in their mouths.

From his website:

Howard F. Lyman has brought the issue of the dangers of eating beef to light like never before. A former cattle rancher-turned-vegetarian and food safety activist, in 1996, Lyman revealed, to a national television audience, how the cattle industry potentially exposed Americans to Mad Cow Disease by feeding cows the remains of live animals - including other cows. As a result of his remarks, Lyman was named a co-defendant with Oprah Winfrey in the infamous "veggie libel" case brought by Texas ranchers in Amarillo.

In this shocking and powerful book, Lyman uncovers the dangerous and potentially deadly practices of the cattle and dairy industry. MAD COWBOY is a passionate manifesto for change from an industry insider whose firsthand experiences will alter the way you think about your food, and the people who produce it, forever. "Sure, I used to enjoy my steaks as much as the next guy," writes Lyman. "But if you knew what I know about what goes into them and what they can do to you, you'd probably be a vegetarian like me."

Check out my new amazon.com store

2007-12-25T09:36:00.000-05:00

I am often asked for recommendations of books, DVDs and other informative and educational resources. In an effort to utilize technology and create the greatest ease for reviewing well regarded and reviewed items relevant to the work I do, that I just plain love, click the link below to take you to my new amazon.com store!

Tom's Favorites and Recommendations

Happy Holidays everyone!

Humpback freed in Canadian Waters

2007-12-21T11:44:00.000-05:00

Humpback freed in Canadian Waters

(Provincetown, Cape Cod, MA) - A humpback whale was freed from a severe entanglement in fishing gear in Canadian waters, off of Grand Manan Island today, around 9:30 a.m.

The entanglement involved 2 body wraps with several lines twisted together around the body of the whale, approximately 7 or 8 wraps of line around the left flipper, and a line through the whale's mouth. After 60 minutes and approximately 35 cuts through thick line, rescuers were able to free the whale from the extensive entanglement.

The Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies (PCCS) sent Scott Landry to assist Mackie Green of Campobello Whale Rescue. Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), Campobello Whale Rescue, and PCCS, coordinated a plan to disentangle the whale. High seas prevented the team from reaching the entangled animal yesterday, and although temperatures were below freezing today, a small weather window this morning, allowed the rescuers to reach the whale.

The whale was estimated to be approximately 40 ft long and was tentatively identified as a known individual at time of the entanglement. Images of the flukes were taken and will be brought to the PCCS Marine Laboratory to confirm the identification of the whale. Images will be compared to the individuals identified in the Gulf of Maine humpback whale population catalogue, which the PCCS curates. Annually, between 48% and 65% of the sampled animals from the Gulf of Maine of humpback population exhibit scaring indicative of an entanglement in their lifetime. And, 10-25% of animals sampled from the Gulf of Maine humpbacks will acquire new scars from entanglements each year.

The entanglement was reported to the Grand Manan Fishermen's Association by a fisherman yesterday, who spotted the whale caught in two sets of trap fishing gear, around 1:00 p.m. The Association notified DFO and the Atlantic Large Whale Disentanglement Network (ALWDN). The fisherman stayed with the whale long enough to determine that it was anchored in place.

The fisherman who reported this entanglement is to be commended. Only three percent of all entangled humpbacks are reported to authorities annually. ALWDN which PCCS coordinates, is a network of trained responders who carry out disentanglement activities along the East Coast of the United States and Canada. The success of disentanglement operations rests largely on the cooperation and reports received from fishermen, whale watchers, researchers, state and federal agencies, and the general public.

The DFO Grand Manan program vessel was used to transport rescuers to the location and made the disentanglement efforts possible. Fishery Officers from DFO Joe Greenlaw and Cameron Ingersol also assisted in the efforts. Humpbacks remain listed as an endangered species in the United States.

The Network

The ALWDN includes 20 first responder teams along the East Coast and coordinates emergency responses to benefit the welfare of individual whales and collects scientific information about the causes and effects of entanglement. With the exception of those in Canada, all teams work under the direction and authority of the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies which holds a federal permit to conduct disentanglement operations. Most team members work on an unpaid, volunteer basis.

The Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies is a private non-profit organization founded in 1976, dedicated to researching and protecting marine mammals and marine habitats in the Gulf of Maine through applied research, conservation, environmental and education programs. Our disentanglement team coordinates whale rescue efforts along the East Coast of the United States.

Please consider a donation to this organization and support their life saving work of marine life rescue, research and protection of the ecosystem through their website.

Forget Six-Pack Abs

2007-12-15T22:51:00.000-05:00

Have you ever stood at the mirror, sucked in your stomach and thought, "I wish I could look like this all the time?" If you grew up in the United States, your answer is probably yes. Madison Avenue has sold us the notion that taut abdominals are the quintessence of health and beauty. Rock-hard bellies are used to promote everything from underwear to cereal.

But if you yearn for the rippled look of "six-pack" abs, consider what you may sacrifice to obtain it: That look might cost you flexibility and freedom of movement. Overdoing abs exercises can lead to a flattening of the lumbar curve, creating a weakened spinal structure. "We're even beginning to see hunchback conditions because of excessive abdominal crunches," claims biomechanics and kinesiology specialist Michael Yessis, Ph.D., author of Kinesiology of Exercise (Masters Press, 1992).

Rest of story online here.

Reduce unwanted catalogs to your home and help the environment by doing so

2007-12-09T19:49:00.000-05:00

I would love you to join me in making a difference by signing up to Catalog Choice. By doing so you will get to choose which catalogs come to your home and can opt out of unwanted catalogs being delivered (waste of paper, killing trees, affects CO2, impacts global warming, resources to bring the catalog to your home, gas, impact on environment etc etc. You get the idea!)

In short, it is an easy, free service that allows you to decline unsolicited catalogs, reducing the number of catalogs in your mailbox and lightening your footprint on the environment.

Join me by clicking the link below:
https://www.catalogchoice.org/signup

The Pain of Disconnection

2007-12-05T09:01:00.000-05:00

Where and how would you intervene in this interaction in a way that supports the RELATIONSHIP?

MEDITATION FOUND TO INCREASE BRAIN SIZE

2007-11-25T10:18:00.000-05:00

2006-08-11

by Daniel G. Amen M.D. Printable page

People who meditate grow bigger brains than those who don't. Researchers at Harvard, Yale, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found the first evidence that meditation can alter the physical structure of our brains. Brain scans they conducted reveal that experienced meditators boasted increased thickness in parts of the brain that deal with attention and processing sensory input.

In one area of gray matter, the thickening turns out to be more pronounced in older than in younger people. That's intriguing because those sections of the human cortex, or thinking cap, normally get thinner as we age.

"Our data suggest that meditation practice can promote cortical plasticity in adults in areas important for cognitive and emotional processing and well-being," says Sara Lazar, leader of the study and a psychologist at Harvard Medical School. "These findings are consistent with other studies that demonstrated increased thickness of music areas in the brains of musicians, and visual and motor areas in the brains of jugglers. In other words, the structure of an adult brain can change in response to repeated practice."

The researchers compared brain scans of 20 experienced meditators with those of 15 nonmeditators. Four of the former taught meditation or yoga, but they were not monks living in seclusion. The rest worked in careers such as law, health care, and journalism. All the participants were white. During scanning, the meditators meditated; the others just relaxed and thought about whatever they wanted.

Meditators did Buddhist "insight meditation," which focuses on whatever is there, like noise or body sensations. It doesn't involve "om," other mantras, or chanting.

"The goal is to pay attention to sensory experience, rather than to your thoughts about the sensory experience," Lazar explains. "For example, if you suddenly hear a noise, you just listen to it rather than thinking about it. If your leg falls asleep, you just notice the physical sensations. If nothing is there, you pay attention to your breathing." Successful meditators get used to not thinking or elaborating things in their mind.

Study participants meditated an average of about 40 minutes a day. Some had been doing it for only a year, others for decades. Depth of the meditation was measured by the slowing of breathing rates. Those most deeply involved in the meditation showed the greatest changes in brain structure. "This strongly suggests," Lazar concludes, "that the differences in brain structure were caused by the meditation, rather than that differences in brain thickness got them into meditation in the first place."

Lazar took up meditation about 10 years ago and now practices insight meditation about three times a week. At first she was not sure it would work. But "I have definitely experienced beneficial changes," she says. "It reduces stress [and] increases my clarity of thought and my tolerance for staying focused in difficult situations."

Controlling random thoughts

Insight meditation can be practiced anytime, anywhere. "People who do it quickly realize that much of what goes on in their heads involves random thoughts that often have little substance," Lazar comments. "The goal is not so much to 'empty' your head, but to not get caught up in random thoughts that pop into consciousness."

She uses this example: Facing an important deadline, people tend to worry about what will happen if they miss it, or if the end product will be good enough to suit the boss. You can drive yourself crazy with unproductive "what if" worry. "If, instead, you focus on the present moment, on what needs to be done and what is happening right now, then much of the feeling of stress goes away," Lazar says. "Feelings become less obstructive and more motivational."

The increased thickness of gray matter is not very much, 4 to 8 thousandths of an inch. "These increases are proportional to the time a person has been meditating during their lives," Lazar notes. "This suggests that the thickness differences are acquired through extensive practice and not simply due to differences between meditators and nonmeditators."

As small as they are, you can bet those differences are going to lead to lots more studies to find out just what is going on and how meditation might better be used to improve health and well-being, and even slow aging.

More basic questions need to be answered. What causes the increased thickness? Does meditation produce more connections between brain cells, or more blood vessels? How does increased brain thickness influence daily behavior? Does it promote increased communication between intellectual and emotional areas of the brain?

To get answers, larger studies are planned at Massachusetts General Hospital, the Harvard-affiliated facility where Lazar is a research scientist and where these first studies were done. That work included only 20 meditators and their brains were scanned only once.

"The results were very encouraging," Lazar remarks. "But further research needs to be done using a larger number of people and testing them multiple times. We also need to examine their brains both before and after learning to meditate. Our group is currently planning to do this. Eventually, such research should reveal more about the function of the thickening; that is, how it affects emotions and knowing in terms of both awareness and judgment."

Slowing aging?

Since this type of meditation counteracts the natural thinning of the thinking surface of the brain, could it play a role in slowing - even reversing - aging? That could really be mind-boggling in the most positive sense.

Lazar is cautious in her answer. "Our data suggest that one small bit of brain appears to have a slower rate of cortical thinning, so meditation may help slow some aspects of cognitive aging," she agrees. "But it's important to remember that monks and yogis suffer from the same ailments as the rest of us. They get old and die, too. However, they do claim to enjoy an increased capacity for attention and memory."

"Brain In The News" is offered as a free service to educate people on how the brain relates to our behavior. You can subscribe for free at www.amenclinic.com. You can see over 300 color 3D brain SPECT images at www.brainplace.com.

Just for fun!

2007-11-24T13:36:00.000-05:00

From Crackle: Senator Craig’s New Music Video

Gandhi Quote

2007-11-18T10:08:00.000-05:00

"Watch your thoughts; they become your words
Watch your words; they become your actions
Watch your actions; they become your habits
Watch your habits; they become your character
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny"

- Gandhi

It is through our meditation practice that we learn to be still and reconnect with the divine within. It all starts with a heart felt connection to our Truth. The reminder of course is that we are not our thoughts.

Let me suggest a book I am reading now that I love. It is by Tara Brach PhD. She is a clinical psychologist with a strong Buddhist practice. She integrates meditation and psychotherapy in such a wonderfully, refreshing and enlightened way.

Her book is called Radical Acceptance. 5 stars. Much to learn here about the benefits of meditation and developing a personal practice.

New Seane Corn Yoga DVD - FANTASTIC!

2007-11-18T00:20:00.000-05:00

Seane at her best. Live, relational and as genuine as can be. Many of you know I have followed Seane's teaching and growth as a teacher and spiritual leader for years now. She 'walks the talk' and is what yoga is all about. Authenticity and compassion. Untrapped by her celebrity - she uses her platform to make a difference in the world by taking yoga "Off the Mat and Into the World" through her spiritual activism . A truly gifted and extremely intelligent spirit. This DVD will make for wonderful home practice. Integrates the beauty of the vinyasa practice with a wonderful sense of spirituality.

A must have! Out of 5 stars - I give it 10!!!!

"Heal yourself-and the world-through yoga. Filmed live at the Annual Yoga Journal San Francisco Conference, this unrehearsed 90-minute class captures the charisma and soul of one of yoga's great instructors. In this heart-pumping vinyasa flow practice, you'll journey through your body to awaken to your own intuition and life purpose and gain insight into how your yoga practice can empower you to help heal the world. One of the most gifted yoga instructors in America, Seane Corn's dynamic and inspirational style of yoga incorporates both the physical and spiritual aspects of yoga. She is the National Yoga Ambassador for YouthAIDS and the recipient of the 2005 Conscious Humanitarian Award. Seane teaches at Sacred Movement in Santa Monica, California and travels extensively. Learn 32 poses in all, including: Sun Salutations; standing poses; hip openers, and shoulder and spine stretches - Stand-alone chapters allow you to start the class at any point - In-depth interview with Seane Corn"

Mutuality in Relationship

2007-11-17T19:41:00.001-05:00

EXERCISE BUILDS STRONG BRAINS!

2007-11-14T21:13:00.000-05:00

We’ve known for many years about the physiological benefits of exercise. Certainly it’s good for our hearts, lungs and muscles. Recently, studies have shown the remarkable effect regular exercise has on our brains and mental wellness.

I’ve referred to it as “medicine’s dirty little secret”. In head to head studies, regular aerobic exercise has been shown to be just about as effective as certain popular anti-depression medications for treating clinical depression.

Here’s a recent study reported in USA Today that suggests regular exercise has a significant impact on helping children focus on schoolwork, impulse control and organization. Here’s the story…

By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY

Kids who play hard every day may be making their brains, as well as their bodies, stronger. A new study reports that children who play vigorously for 20 to 40 minutes a day may be better able to organize schoolwork, do class projects and learn mathematics.

"Children who are not active may be at a disadvantage academically," says Catherine Davis, an associate professor of pediatrics at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. She presented the research last week at the annual meeting of the Obesity Society, a group of weight-loss professionals.

Davis and colleagues worked with 163 sedentary, overweight children, ages 7 to 11, for three months. The children were divided into three groups: a control group that did no physical activity after school; a group that did 20 minutes of vigorous physical activity five days a week after school; and a group that did 40 minutes of such activity on those same days.

The activity groups played intermittent, high-energy running games, such as flag tag, relays, jump rope and modified basketball. They wore heart-rate monitors and were given rewards for maintaining a high average heart rate. Students also were given cognitive-function tests at the beginning and end of the study. They were tested for their math and reading achievement and "executive function."

Executive function includes skills important for planning and organizing, focusing on schoolwork, resisting impulses, self-monitoring and using strategies to achieve goals. Children who have attention deficit disorder have difficulty with those tasks.

Among the findings from the National Institutes of Health-financed study:

The children in the 40-minute activity group had significant improvement on an executive-function test compared with the control group. They increased about 4 points on a cognitive-performance scale. Those in the 20-minute group showed about half that improvement.
There was a small improvement in math achievement for both exercise groups but no signs of improvement in reading.
Those in the exercise groups lost about 1% to 2% of body fat.

The researchers also performed brain scans and found that the children who were exercising appeared to have more neural activity in the frontal areas of their brains, an important area for executive function, Davis says. "The animal literature tells us that exercise, particularly regular exercise, stimulates the growth of blood vessels and neurons in the brain, so we think the same may be happening in the children."

Other studies have shown that executive function improves in older adults who become more physically active, she says. "School systems need to know that to reach their achievement targets, they need to add physical activity to the school day rather than reduce it."

Phillip Tomporowski, a study co-author and exercise psychologist at the University of Georgia in Athens, says exercise "may well improve the underlying mental processes that are involved in a lot of behaviors and academic tasks."

Says Darla Castelli, assistant professor in the department of kinesiology and community health at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: "This research corroborates several of our studies, which have also examined executive function in kids. We found strong associations between math performance and aerobic fitness among elementary-school-age children."

Howell Wechsler, director of the Division of Adolescent and School Health for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says some children don't have as many opportunities outside school to be as active as children in previous generations.

"Today there is so much more competition for their time with all the attractive options to be sedentary, from hundreds of cable stations to video games and computer games," Wechsler says. "This makes it even more important to have physical education programs and other opportunities for physical activity at school."

So, if your kids aren’t exercising in school (many schools have cut P.E. from their curriculum) it will help them physically and mentally to be involved in some structured aerobic activity. I promise you, a half hour of vigorous activity will reap far more benefit than a half hour staring at a video screen playing the latest game!

And, we adults get a similar benefit from exercise – what a great reason to get the whole family together. Go for a jog or walk, kick a soccer ball around, smack a table tennis ball … you, your family and your brain will be glad you did!

To Your Brain Health,

Daniel

Daniel Amen, M.D.
CEO, Amen Clinics, Inc.
Distinguished Fellow, American Psychiatric Association

New Meetup Group: Gay Mens Yoga and Meditation Group

2007-11-14T07:58:00.000-05:00

Click here to check out
The Providence Gay Men's Yoga and Meditation Group!

10 Ways to Outwit Your Appetite

2007-11-12T15:58:00.001-05:00

You don't have to be smarter than a quiz-show fifth-grader to learn how to control the urge to eat. Just follow these ingenious tips to keep your appetite under wraps:

• Feed it protein for breakfast. You'll be less hungry later on and end up eating 267 fewer calories during the day. At least that's what happened on days when St. Louis University researchers gave overweight women two scrambled eggs and two slices of jelly-topped toast for breakfast rather than about half that protein.

• Make it climb a flight of stairs. At home, store the most tempting foods way out of reach. For instance, Cornell University food psychologist Brian Wansink, PhD, keeps his favorite soda in a basement fridge. "Half the time I'm too lazy to run down there to get it, so I drink the water in the kitchen."

• Sleep on it. People who don't get their 8 hours of ZZZs experience hormonal fluctuations that increase appetite, report researchers. Learn more about how sleep affects your diet.

• Give it something else to think about. When scientists scanned the brains of people eating different foods, they found that the brain reacts to fat in the mouth in much the same way that it responds to a pleasant aroma. So if you feel a craving coming on, apply your favorite scent.

• Never let it see a heaping plate. The more food that's in front of you, the more you'll eat. So at a restaurant, ask your waiter to pack up half of your meal before serving it to you, then eat the extras for lunch the next day.

• Put it under the lights. You consume fewer calories at a well-lit restaurant table than you do dining in a dark corner. "In the light, you're more self-conscious and worry that other patrons are watching what you eat," explains Wansink.

• Talk it down. Entertaining friends with a great story doesn't give you much time to eat up, so you'll probably still have food on your plate when they're done. Once they're finished, call it quits, too.

• Offer it a seat. If you sit down to snack -- and use utensils and a plate -- you'll eat fewer calories at subsequent meals.

• Satisfy it with soup. Start lunch with about 130 calories worth of vegetable soup and you'll eat 20% fewer calories overall during lunch, say Penn State experts.

• Give it little choice. Packages that contain assorted varieties of cookies, candy, dips, cheese, etc., make you want to try all the flavors. The effect is so powerful, says Wansink, that when people are given 10 colors of M&Ms to munch on, not 7, they eat 30% more!

Oh, and one more thing: Feeding your appetite a diverse diet that is low in calories and high in nutrients can make your RealAge as much as 4 years younger. Sweet.

Candidate Calculator: Which 2008 Presidential Candidate Agrees With You?

2007-11-11T08:38:00.000-05:00

Answer the questions on the link to find the 2008 presidential candidate that best aligns with your beliefs. More than 1 million people have already filled it out. Give it a try!

As featured on CNN: The Situation Room

Candidate Caculator

New Vegetarian Cookbook and another CONSIDERATION for choosing more vegetarian options

2007-11-10T20:31:00.000-05:00

Author of a dozen bestselling cookbooks and beloved columnist for The New York Times ("The Minimalist"), Chef Mark Bittman bookends his award-winning modern classic, How to Cook Everything, with How to Cook Everything: Vegetarian the ultimate one-stop resource for meatless meals. Refreshingly straightforward and filled with illustrated recipes, this is a book that puts vegetarian cuisine within the reach of every home cook. You'll want to spend countless days in the kitchen with Bittman's latest culinary treasure.

"First off, we eat too much of that stuff for our health; every single responsible, independent, and impartial study shows as much. But they also show that replacing the beef in your diet with potato chips and soda won’t do you any good. You can be a “vegetarian” and still eat plenty of food that’s bad for you".

"Secondly, the production of animal products as food is a major contributor to global warming. See the UN Report entitled Livestock’s Long Shadow (http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/a0701e/a0701e00.htm), which says, ultimately, that 18 percent of greenhouse gasses are a direct result of the production of animals for human consumption. " - Mark Bittman

Order the book here: Amazon.com: How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food (How to Cook Everything): Books: Mark B. it just came out a few weeks ago and already has received mostly 5 stars. I just made the black bean burgers with cashews and carrots below which is his recipe and they are fantastic!

And I would add the Hindu concept of AHIMSA - doing non-violence to self or other sentient beings (which includes animals!)..Ahimsa (Devanagari: अहिंसा; IAST ahiṃsā) is a Sanskrit term meaning non-violence (literally: the avoidance of violence - himsa) It is an important tenet of the religions that originated in ancient India (Hinduism Buddhism and especially Jainism). Ahimsa is a rule of conduct that bars the killing or injuring of living beings It is closely connected with the notion that all kinds of violence entail negative karmic consequences The extent to which the principle of non-violence can or should be applied to different life forms is controversial between various authorities movements and currents within the three religions and has been a matter of debate for thousands of years... More info at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahimsa

Black Bean Burgers with Cashews and Carrots

From Chef Mark Bittman
Makes 6 burgers

The marvelous Mark Bittman gave us the idea for combining black beans and oats for a burger that has great texture and looks just like the real thing. These are fine plain, with a squeeze of lemon, or with a big spoonful of Avocado and Black Bean Salsa.

Note: If you cook the beans yourself, take them off the heat and drain them while they still retain a little texture.

1 large celery rib, coarsely cut up
1 medium-large carrot, peeled and shredded
12 large roasted cashews
2 cups cooked or canned organic black beans, rinsed and drained well
1/3 cup steel-cut oats
1 1/2 teaspoons organic vegetable bouillon powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan
Yellow cornmeal

Put the celery, carrot, and cashews in a food processor. Pulse to chop coarsely. Add the beans, oats, bouillon powder, cumin, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Pulse until just mixed evenly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Form the bean mixture into 6 patties. Dust lightly with cornmeal to coat both sides. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the patties and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until lightly browned. Or bake in a 375 degree F oven for about 15 minutes. Let sand for 2 to 3 minutes to firm up before serving.

Air Fresheners Leave Your Indoor Air Anything But

2007-11-06T07:58:00.000-05:00

There’s always been a something a little unsettling about the idea of revitalizing the air inside our homes by spraying things with names like “Meadow Mist” and “Mountain Breeze” all over the place, especially when such products hardly smell like either. Now two new studies have found that our suspicions were correct: synthetic air fresheners are coating our homes and filling our air with unsafe chemicals.

Used in 75% of American households, air fresheners are a huge industry that generates sales of $1.72 billion a year. Found in everything from plug-in disposable appliances and fake candles to sprays and peel-and-stick evaporative disks, these products don’t actually eliminate odors but merely use one of several strategies to make you think they’ve vanished. Some products simply cover up bad smells with stronger chemicals. Some use a nerve-deadening agent to reduce your ability to smell in the first place; while others coat the inside of your nasal passages with a film that stops smells from getting through. Now a new study from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) finds they’re doing something else as well: polluting our indoor air whenever we use them.

The NRDC tested 14 different air fresheners, including those labeled “all-natural,” and found that all but two contained measurable levels of phthalates, synthetic chemicals linked to asthma, endocrine disruption, and other serious health problems. (For more about phthalates see the February 2006 issue of the Non-Toxic Times at http://www.seventhgeneration.com/making_difference/newsletter_article.php?article=110&issue=25.) The amounts of phthalates found ranged from 0.12 parts per million (ppm) to an extraordinary 7,300 ppm. Only two of the tested products contained no phthalates at all.

Researchers said that though the number of products tested was small and couldn’t be said to form a representative sampling, the study’s results clearly indicate the need for more comprehensive testing of these common consumer products, especially in light of the fact that the federal government neither tests air fresheners nor requires their manufacturers to list product ingredients or adhere to any specific safety standards.

In response to the study, Walgreens stores, whose private label air fresheners contained the highest levels of phthalates reported by the study, removed the offending products from their shelves in a commendable example of a company taking swift action to right a toxicological wrong.

Hot on the heels of that decision came news of a study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, which found that the use of spray cleaners in general greatly increases the risk of contracting asthma. Researchers in Barcelona, Spain found that test subjects who used spray cleaners at least once a week had a 30-50% greater chance of developing this respiratory disease and concluded that as many as one in seven cases of adult asthma could be blamed on exposure to spray cleaners. The study singled out conventional glass cleaners, furniture sprays, and air fresheners as particularly likely to trigger the ailment.

Clearly, conventional air fresheners have no place in a healthy home. In addition to phthalates, air freshener toxins can include naphthalene, phenol, cresol, dichlorobenzene, and xylene among many others. These chemicals have been implicated in cancer, neurological damage, reproductive and developmental disorders and other conditions.

For these reasons, indoor air quality experts recommend against using air fresheners or room deodorizes of any kind. Instead, try these safe methods to freshen the air in your home:

• Locate sources of odors and eliminate them when and wherever possible. Since many odors are the result of microbial action, spraying trouble spots and potentially problematic areas (like trash cans, compost containers, etc.) with an undiluted 3 percent solution of hydrogen peroxide (the concentration typically available in stores) will remove many odors.

• Use natural minerals like baking soda and borax to control common odor sources and to deodorize when you clean.

• Keep windows open as much as possible to let bad air out and good air in. If odors are still troubling, invest in an air purifier with activated carbon filtration, a strategy that can remove odors.

• To scent indoor air, place a drop of a natural essential oil like lavender or mint on a cold light bulb, or add a dozen drops to a bowl of water placed on a radiator or wood stove. You can also boil fragrant dried herbs in a pot of water to release a fresh smell.

• A natural mineral called zeolite is available in packets that will absorb odors when hung in problem areas like musty basements and closets.

• Make your own sprays from essential oils and other natural ingredients. For recipes and more information, we recommend the book Better Basics for the Home, by Annie Berthold Bond.

To learn more about the NRDC study, visit http://www.nrdc.org/health/home/airfresheners/contents.asp. For more information about the research published by the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, please see http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/176/8/735.

News Slip up! Reporter says BLIND man is GAY!

2007-10-30T22:29:00.000-04:00

Sometimes it's just fun to laugh!

Lessons in living: Final lecture from professor with pancreatic cancer

2007-10-27T14:17:00.000-04:00

Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch, who is dying from pancreatic cancer, gave his last lecture at the university Sept. 18, 2007, before a packed McConomy Auditorium. In his moving talk, "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," Pausch talked about his lessons learned and gave advice to students on how to achieve their own career and personal goals.

"Almost all of us have childhood dreams; for example, being an astronaut, or making movies or video games for a living. Sadly, most people don’t achieve theirs, and I think that’s a shame. I had several specific childhood dreams, and I’ve actually achieved most of them. More importantly, I have found ways, in particular the creation (with Don Marinelli), of CMU’s Entertainment Technology Center of helping many young people actually *achieve* their childhood dreams." - Randy Pausch

Meditation Boosts Mood, Immune System

2007-10-25T17:01:00.000-04:00

Meditation May Put a Positive Spin on Emotion, Immune System

WebMD Medical News

Aug. 18, 2003 -- Boosting your immune system may be as simple as putting mind over matter.

A new study shows that meditation can help produce antibodies against illness and also lift your spirits.

Researchers say biological effects seen in the study are long lasting -- up to four months after the end of meditation training. Previous research has focused only on more immediate effects. The new study appears in the latest issue of Psychosomatic Medicine.

Researchers measured brain electrical activity in 48 people at several points in the study. At each measurement, the volunteers wrote about one of three of the most positive and negative experiences in their life.

To measure immune response, researchers took blood samples twice after the volunteers got a flu shot. This allowed them to examine how many antibodies the volunteers produced in response to the vaccine.

Additionally, half of the volunteers took a meditation class that met once a week for two to three hours. Researchers also assigned formal and informal meditation practices that they were supposed to do at home one hour a day, six days a week -- with the help of guided audiotapes.

Meditation Helps

Meditation helped on two fronts. People who meditated had the most brain activity in the part of the brain linked to positive emotion and they had higher levels of antibodies than those who didn't meditate. Researchers also say that the increase brain activity was directly linked to the antibody increase among people who meditated.

Researchers say more studies are needed in this area, calling the results "informative but saying little about changes that are more enduring."

Help stop abuse of these "lab" monkeys @ UCSF

2007-10-22T21:33:00.000-04:00

YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW!

It’s hard to believe but around the country, taxpayers’ dollars are being used to fund cruel animal tests—even though they often violate the Animal Welfare Act! It’s truly horrifying.

PCRM is in the midst of a lawsuit against the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)—the latest example of this unlawful cruelty to animals. But we need your help!

A letter you have just received from me (or are about to receive) has more details on this disturbing case. You’ll read about how a group of concerned citizens alerted us of the atrocities at UCSF:

Drilling holes into the skulls of monkeys
Bolting metal restraining devices into their heads
Making them “work” to receive “rewards” like water

PCRM relies on activists like them—and like you—to help us protect and save more animals from unnecessary death. We must work together to make a difference!

I urge you to help protect animals in your own community. You can find tools to help you on our Web site.

But to make an immediate difference and help our case against UCSF, please make a generous gift to PCRM today.

Your contribution will help PCRM show that concerned citizens will not allow schools or corporations to violate the Animal Welfare Act or use state or federal funding to torture defenseless animals.

Please do your part—make a donation today!

Thank you for all you do,

Neal Barnard, M.D.
PCRM President

Hidden Anger of Gay Men- Wonder Why?

2007-10-18T13:47:00.000-04:00

Univ. of Vermont Nearly Boycotts Red Cross Blood Drive Over Exclusion of Gay Men

The University of Vermont’s student government narrowly voted Tuesday against forbidding the American Red Cross to collect blood on campus after considering a resolution to boycott drives because gay men aren’t allowed to donate, according to the Associated Press.

After more than three hours of discussion and debate, the university’s Student Government Association rejected the boycott resolution 16-15.

The federal Food and Drug Administration enacted the policy in 1983, and all blood collection organizes must follow it. Supporters of the student government resolution argued that FDA policy contradicts the university’s nondiscrimination standards.

Gay men who aren’t allowed to donate blood “are essentially being told that they’re bad and dirty,” Dot Brauer, director of the school’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Questioning and Allied Services, told the AP. Hosting the Red Cross on campus, she said, “indicates our agreement.”

Red Cross officials told the AP on Tuesday that they disagree with FDA policy and have requested that it be changed. (The Advocate)

Mindful Awareness: Gathas

2007-09-26T12:03:00.000-04:00

Choose a Gatha
"Gathas are short verses that we can recite during our daily activities to help us return to the present moment and dwell in mindfulness. As exercises in both meditation and poetry, gathas are an essential part of Zen Buddhist tradition. Using a gatha doesn't require any special knowledge or religious practice. Some people like to memorize a favorite verse that they find they can come back to again and again. Others just like to write the verse down in a place they are likely to see it often. . . .

"Reciting gathas is one way to help us dwell in the present moment. When we focus our mind on a gatha, we return to ourselves and become more aware of each action. When the gatha ends, we continue our activity with heightened awareness. When we drive a car, signs can help us find our way. The sign and the road become one, and we see the sign all along the way until the next sign. When we practice with gathas, the gathas and the rest of our life become one, and we live our entire lives in awareness. This helps us very much, and it helps others as well. We find that we have more peace, calm, and joy, which we can share with others."

— Thich Nhat Hanh in Present Moment Wonderful Moment. Reprinted by permission of Parallax Press.

To Practice This Today:

Here are five gathas from Present Moment Wonderful Moment; commentaries on them appear in the book. Or feel free to make up your own verses. Write them down, reflect on them and repeat them often during the day.

Waking Up
Waking up this morning, I smile.
Twenty-four brand new hours are before me.
I vow to live fully in each moment
and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion.

Turning on the Television
The mind is a television with thousands of channels.
I choose a world that is tranquil and calm
so that my joy will always be fresh.

Washing Our Hands
Water flows over these hands.
May I use them skillfully
to preserve our precious planet.

Walking
The mind can go in a thousand directions,
but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace.
With each step, a gentle wind blows.
With each step, a flower blooms.

Brushing Your Teeth
Brushing my teeth and rinsing my mouth,
I vow to speak purely and lovingly.
When my mouth is fragrant with right speech,
a flower blooms in the garden of my heart.

Supplement may reduce addictive behaviors

2007-09-26T11:09:00.000-04:00

N-Acetyl Cysteine May Help Reduce Gambling and Other Addictions

Breaking News

By VRP Staff

Researchers have released the results of a new study that indicates supplementation with N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) may reduce addictive behavior in compulsive gamblers as well as individuals with other addictions.

N-acetyl cysteine is thought to restore extracellular concentrations of the chemical glutamate, which is often associated with reward in the brain. This ability led researchers to believe NAC could have a promising role to play in minimizing addictive behavior. The researchers enrolled 27 pathological gamblers (12 women) in an 8-week trial of NAC. The first part of the study was an open trial where subjects each consumed daily doses of NAC. In this part of the study, 16 of 27 subjects (59.3 percent) reported experiencing less urges to gamble. The effective dose of NAC ranged from 1,100 to 1,700 mg per day.

Of those 16 subjects, 13 went on to participate in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of NAC. Of those subjects given NAC, 83.3 percent experienced a reduced compulsion to gamble compared with only 28.6 percent of those assigned to a placebo.

The study authors concluded, “The efficacy of NAC lends support to the hypothesis that pharmacological manipulation of the glutamate system might target core symptoms of reward-seeking addictive behaviors such as gambling. Larger, longer, placebo-controlled, double-blind studies are warranted.”

Similar studies of N-acetyl cysteine have shown it can curb drug addictions in animals. However, the researchers of the current study believe their study was the first to look at the effects of a glutamate-modulating agent in pathological gamblers. The researchers are currently investigating whether NAC could help methamphetamine users quit.

Reference:

Grant JE, Kim SW, Odlaug BL. N-acetyl cysteine, a glutamate-modulating agent, in the treatment of pathological gambling: a pilot study. Biol Psychiatry. 2007 Sep 15;62(6):652-7.

Did you know THIS about our world?

2007-09-14T19:54:00.000-04:00

Wait till you check this out!

Did you know this about our world?

If Larry Craig Were Gay...

2007-09-02T17:11:00.001-04:00

Help Stop Dog Fighting

2007-08-29T16:41:00.000-04:00

Click here for what you can do to make a difference

Just for fun

2007-08-19T12:00:00.001-04:00

Lisa Marie and Elvis Presley - A Union, A Political Statement?

2007-08-17T08:58:00.000-04:00

Dear Dr. Laura

2007-08-08T08:56:00.000-04:00

This little gem has been circulating the net. It illustrates the absurdity of a selective and wooden literalism, even if it is not illustrative of Dr. Laura's thinking, other than her dogmatic stand against homosexuals.

Dear Dr. Laura,

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and I try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind him that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate.

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the specific laws and how to best follow them.

When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odour for the Lord (Lev. 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odour is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?
I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Lev. 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.
Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?
I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?
A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination (Lev. 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?
Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?
Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev.19:27. How should they die?
I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?
My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? (Lev.24:10-16) Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev.20:14)

I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.

Your devoted disciple and adoring fan,

Researchers Compile 237 Reasons for Sex

2007-08-03T09:11:00.001-04:00

August 1, 2007

WASHINGTON (AP) -- After exhaustively compiling a list of the 237 reasons why people have sex, researchers found that young men and women get intimate for mostly the same motivations. It's more about lust in the body than a love connection in the heart.

College-aged men and women agree on their top reasons for having sex -- they were attracted to the person, they wanted to experience physical pleasure and "it feels good," according to a peer-reviewed study in the August edition of Archives of Sexual Behavior. Twenty of the top 25 reasons given for having sex were the same for men and women.

Expressing love and showing affection were in the top 10 for both men and women, but they did take a back seat to the clear No. 1: "I was attracted to the person."

Researchers at the University of Texas spent five years and their own money to study the overlooked why behind sex while others were spending their time on the how.

"It's refuted a lot of gender stereotypes ... that men only want sex for the physical pleasure and women want love," said University of Texas clinical psychology professor Cindy Meston, the study's co-author. "That's not what I came up with in my findings."

Forget thinking that men are from Mars and women from Venus, "the more we look, the more we find similarity," said Dr. Irwin Goldstein, director of sexual medicine at Alvarado Hospital in San Diego. Goldstein, who wasn't part of Meston's study, said the Texas research made a lot of sense and adds to growing evidence that the vaunted differences in the genders may only be among people with sexual problems.

Meston and colleague David Buss first questioned 444 men and women -- ranging in age from 17 to 52 -- to come up with a list of 237 distinct reasons people have sex. They ranged from "It's fun" which men ranked fourth and women ranked eighth to "I wanted to give someone else a sexually transmitted disease" which ranked on the bottom by women.

Once they came up with that long list, Meston and Buss asked 1,549 college students taking psychology classes to rank the reasons on a one-to-five scale on how they applied to their experiences.

"None of the gender differences are all that great," Meston said. "Men were more likely to be opportunistic towards having sex, so if sex were there and available they would jump on it, somewhat more so than women. Women were more likely to have sex because they felt they needed to please their partner."

But this is among college students, when Meston conceded "hormones run rampant." She predicted huge differences when older groups of people are studied.

Since her study came out Tuesday, people are coming up with new reasons to have sex.

"Originally, I thought that we exhaustively compiled the list, but now I found that there should be some added," Meston said.

Failure is the way to go?

2007-07-29T22:29:00.000-04:00

It turns out that failure is the way we learn best--presuming we don't get too much of it at any one time. And the article helps explain why.

THE ATTRIBUTIONS WE MAKE

Of course, through disappointment and failure we learn how to cope. Welearn what we can cope with. Success is great, but it often misleads us.We tend to internalize success, erroneously ascribing it to our ownstellar innate characteristics--while overlooking the often-powerful handof luck or special opportunity. On the other hand, we tend to attribute failure to general conditions Out There or to adverse circumstances. Weoften do this so we can look ourselves in the mirror in the morning.

PRESSURES FOR SUCCESS

Our culture these days is especially focused on success. The economy is doing quite well and so success stories abound. Our taste for having things and displaying status is riding high. People are focused on the pathways to success. Of course, there are signals that focusing on success is not always psychically sustainable: The pressure to achieve has an uncanny way of promoting perfectionism, and disorders ofperfectionism are rampant. Eating disorders are only the most visible.Think about anxiety disorders related to obsessiveness, the ubiquity ofstress, and burnout especially among young athletes who push theirbodies beyond their limits.

A DIFFERENT DIRECTION

The new article, which appeared in the May issue of the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, turns my head in a completely different direction. What I like about it is that it shows precisely how we learn more from our mistakes than we do from getting things right. Bydefinition, mistakes violate our own expectations. The surprise indiscovering we are wrong is particularly conducive to learning--it galvanizes our attention, amplifies it, and speeds up our ability to detect the possibility of error the next time around.

PRIORITY PROCESSING

The need to learn from mistakes is so crucial--in our ancient past on the savannah it likely saved lives and is the reason why our ancestors survived and we can strut our stuff today-- it is allocated priority processing in the brain. Psychologist Andy Wills and colleagues at the University of Exeter in England report that when we come up against things for which we earlier made incorrect predictions, the brain sendsout a signal of recognition. It does this amazingly quickly--in just one-tenth of a second--almost immediately after seeing the object that first foiled us, in an effort to prevent us from repeating the error.This happens automatically, long before there is time for conscious consideration.

ANOTHER CHANCE

Learning, then, hinges on the surprise of getting things wrong. Failure,after all, is just information, a signal to try something else, anotherchance to learn. But failure is information--and not a fixed and frozen outcome or catastrophe--only if people are allowed to see themselves as problem-solvers, secular scientists learning by trial and error, and notas totems of talent or perfection who need to look smart and always produce the right answer.

PROMOTING FAILURE

We need to fail more often and we need to get more comfortable with the concept of failure--not always see it as a negative, and especially not as a negative reflection on our innermost self. If we never fail, it means we're not testing our limits; we don't know who, or what, we are.

Experimentation is the true mother of success. Many inventions--Velcro is one--grew from accidents that were at first looked on as failures.Experimentation demands tolerance for mistakes, and without either one of them innovation is as good as dead. In the absence of innovation, our economy has little ability to sustain itself in the global marketplace. Our future depends as much on failure as it does on success.

Security, Change, Fear - a thought

2007-07-27T12:40:00.001-04:00

Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature nor do the children of humankind as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. To keep our faces towards change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable!-- Helen Keller 1940

EQUALITY? Hardly...

2007-07-21T11:53:00.000-04:00

R.I. governor blocks bill requiring infertility treatment coverage for the unmarried

Rhode Island governor Don Carcieri has vetoed a bill requiring health insurers to cover infertility treatments for unmarried people, saying they shouldn't be forced to subsidize out-of-wedlock births.

The Republican governor, who opposes same-sex marriage and civil unions, warned that eliminating the marriage restriction would also drive up health care costs.

''As a matter of public policy, the state should be encouraging the birth of children to two-parent families, not the reverse,'' he said in a written statement Thursday announcing his Wednesday veto.

Two weeks ago Carcieri permitted another bill to become law without his signature that required insurers to increase the age cap on eligible women to 42 from 40. It also required insurers to pay for infertility treatments after a couple fails to conceive or carry a pregnancy after one year of trying, instead of two.

But Carcieri balked when Democratic state representative Edith Ajello's bill went one step further and eliminated the marriage requirement.

Ajello, a prominent supporter of same-sex marriage, said her legislation could benefit heterosexual couples who choose not to wed, lesbian couples barred from marrying in Rhode Island, and single women. She said infertility treatment can cost as much as $20,000, making it prohibitively expensive without insurance coverage.

''I do think it's an issue of civil rights, of discrimination, of not looking at people with an equal eye,'' Ajello said. ''I think we get into a very potentially dangerous situation when we decide who should have children and who shouldn't.'' (Ray Henry, AP)

This will make you smile! Little Obama Girl

2007-07-16T20:14:00.000-04:00

Burger King to Use Trans-Fat-Free Oil

2007-07-12T11:13:00.000-04:00

July 6, 2007

MIAMI (AP) -- Burger King said Friday it will use trans-fat-free cooking oil at all its U.S. restaurants by the end of next year, following in the footsteps of other leading fast-food restaurants.

The world's second largest hamburger chain said it was already using zero trans-fat oil in hundreds of its more than 7,100 U.S. restaurants nationwide.

Burger King is known for its flame-broiled burgers, but uses cooking oil for its french fries and most of its chicken products.

In tests, consumers determined that more than a dozen items cooked in the new oil, such as french fries and hash browns, tasted the same or better than products cooked in the trans-fat oil, the company said.

Miami-based Burger King Corp. said two trans-fat-free oil blends passed tests. If adequate supply becomes available, the U.S. rollout of the oils could be completed sooner than 2008, the company said.

Trans fats are listed on food labels as partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. They can raise bad cholesterol and lower healthy cholesterol, increasing the risk of heart disease, doctors say.

Critics have said Burger King was taking too long to move toward the healthier oils. The Washington-based Center for Science in the Public Interest sued Burger King in May, saying the company was moving too slowly and had failed to set a definite timetable for removal of trans fats.

In response to the lawsuit, Burger King said in May it expected to begin the national rollout its new zero trans-fat oil by the end of this year.

Among Burger King's main competitors, McDonald's Corp. said earlier this year it had selected a new trans-fat-free oil. Wendy's International Inc. started using cooking oil with zero grams of trans fat in August 2006.

Starbucks Corp. announced in May that it will cut artificial trans fats out of food and drinks in its stores in the continental United States, Alaska and Canada by the end of the year.

Yum Brands Inc. said in April that all of its KFC restaurants are now serving fried chicken with zero grams of trans fats. Yum Brands also said its Taco Bell restaurants switched to a trans fat-free frying oil.

Burger King is owned by Burger King Holdings Inc. and operates more than 11,200 restaurants worldwide. About 90 percent its restaurants are owned and operated by franchisees.

Michael Moore Confronts CNN Inaccuracies

2007-07-10T08:23:00.000-04:00

To check out Michael Moore's point by point arguments supporting his facts in the making of SiCKO, confronting the inaccuracies in Dr. Sanjay Gupta's CNN story, click here.

Truth. We have 47 million people in the USA who are uninsured and without access to health care. The result is 18,000 people who die each year simply because they do not have health insurance - that is the body count of six 9/11's.

Your vote counts! Time to demand from our politicians CHANGE though universal health care!

On "Forwarded Jokes and Emails"

2007-07-04T09:56:00.000-04:00

A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.

After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.

When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.

When he was close enough, he called out, "Excuse me, where are we?"

"This is Heaven, sir," the man answered.

"Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked.

"Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up."

The man gestured, and the gate began to open.

"Can my friend," gesturing toward his dog, "come in, too?" the traveler asked.

"I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets."

The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog.

After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence.

As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.

"Excuse me!" he called to the man. "Do you have any water?"

"Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in."

"How about my friend here?" the traveler gestured to the dog.

"There should be a bowl by the pump."

They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.

The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog.

When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree.

"What do you call this place?" the traveler asked.

"This is Heaven," he answered.

"Well, that's confusing," the traveler said. "The man down the road said that was Heaven, too."

"Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's hell."

"Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?"

"No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind."

Soooo...

Sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes to us without writing a word.

Maybe this will explain.

When you are very busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess what you do? You forward jokes.

When you have nothing to say, but still want to keep contact, you forward jokes.

When you have something to say, but don't know what, and don't know how, you forward jokes.

Also to let you know that you are still remembered, you are still important, you are still loved, you are still cared for, guess what you get?

A forwarded joke.

So, next time if you get a joke, don't think that you've been sent just another forwarded joke, but that you've been thought of today and your friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a smile.

You are all welcome @ my water bowl anytime

Brain mapping leads to optimal function

2007-07-02T08:28:00.001-04:00

Offers holistic way of treating mental woes

Pat Whitney
Jan. 5, 2005 12:00

AM As recently as 15 years ago, medical science considered the human brain complete at birth and unchangeable.

Now, proof of brain plasticity - that the brain can be physically changed - is leading neuroscientists to discover innovative ways of treating brain dysfunction.

When the Dr. Phil television show hosted a feature on alternative treatments for attention deficit Disorder and other cognitive problems this fall, Jeffrey Fannin, Ph.D., director of the Center of Cognitive Enhancement in Glendale, took note.

A doctor on the show was demonstrating brain mapping to achieve optimal brain function, using the same equipment Fannin uses on his patients locally.

One patient is Alex Goode, 12, a seventh-grader at Highland Lakes Middle School in Glendale. Alex, like a growing number of students today, was unable to focus in school, suffering from a lack of concentration and lethargy.

"Before a psychiatrist diagnosed me with ADD, I'd just look off into space when I was supposed to be listening," he said. "And I had heightened bouts of anger and sensitivity."

His doctor placed him on a Ritalin substitute.

"It gave me an energy boost, but I had a hard time sleeping - one of the side effects," he said.

Alex's parents took him to the Center for Cognitive Enhancement in search of an alternative. Fannin performed a brain mapping on Alex using an electroencephalography, or EEG, and confirmed ADD. Alex started a neurofeedback program unique to his brain makeup.

"I've had 28 sessions (neurofeedback) since July," Alex said. "I go two or three times a week. It's so relaxing and has already made a difference. I find it much easier to get my work done, and I'm getting along with people better. And my IQ has risen 14 points."

Brain mappings illustrate deficiencies or overstimulation in certain areas of the brain. The imaging also reflects graphic evidence of any trauma.

"As the neurofeedback creates new dendrites and neural pathways in the brain, patients can often be weaned off medication," Fannin said.

For Alex's parents, the prospect of successful treatment without drugs is paramount.

In March, the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning for people, particularly children, taking any of 10 popular antidepressants, especially at the beginning of treatment or when doses were increased or decreased. Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Luvox, Celxa, Lexapro, Wellbrutrin, Effexor, Serzone and Remeron potentially put people at risk for worsening depression, anxiety and panic attacks, and increased the possibility for suicide in adults and children.

What Fannin and a growing number of certified neuropsychologists, naturopathic doctors and doctors of osteopathy are offering patients is a choice.

And, in many cases, the use of drugs and the risks and side effects associated with them is eliminated.

Even insurance companies are taking note.

According to Lisa Young, executive assistant at the Center for Cognitive Enhancement, many PPO plans offer some kind of coverage for brain mapping and neurofeedback treatments.

"It really depends on the particular plan and insurance company covering out-of-network services," Young said.

Neurofeedback emerged in the '60s and '70s in research labs at the University of Chicago and Stanford University.

Today, neuroscience is a rapidly growing field commanding more than one half of Yale University's biomedical research budget.

Brain imaging and neurofeedback are part of a new, more holistic approach to diagnosing and treating attention deficit disorder, anxiety and depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, autism and other brain dysfunctions. Brain mapping is also used with stroke victims, patients with severe head injuries and to enhance optimum performance.

A pioneer in the effort is Daniel G. Amen, M.D., a nationally recognized expert in the fields of the brain, behavior and ADD using brain imaging in clinical psychiatric practice. The Amen Clinics in Newport Beach and Fairfield, Calif., hold the world's largest database of functional brain scans for neuropsychiatry.

One of his books, Change Your Brain, Change Your Life, has been on the New York Times bestseller list, has been translated into 10 languages and has sold more than 150,000 copies worldwide.

Meditation, laughter and playing a musical instrument also have been shown to make permanent positive changes in the brain.

Teresa Vesco, a naturopathic physician in north Scottsdale, said neurofeedback helps fill in the blanks for her patients when used in conjunction with natural medications.

"Neurofeedback works for a synergetic effect," she said. "I find when my patients start using it, they become a lot more compliant when their brains begin to function the way they're supposed to."

Patients with chronic pain also can benefit from neurofeedback.

"Neurofeedback helps them get into a meditative state more easily, allowing acupuncture and other methods to work - sometimes in just one visit," Vesco said.

Vesco is undergoing the intensive certification process.

Fannin added that putting the skids on an overworked brain is key to any improvement.

"Children are exposed to so much stimuli today long before their brains are equipped to process it," he said. "Consequently, their brains can't slow down, leading to aggressive behavior, the inability to focus and other problems."

Like meditation, neurofeedback helps restructure the brain while medication may still be needed to control impulses.

Brain mappings cost $250, and treatments over a three- to four-month period can run as high as $3,500, a hefty amount if not covered in part by insurance. Eventually, sessions are done at home with progress and results linked to Fannin by computer.

For Mark Johnson, 53, who lost his job to downsizing in North Carolina and came to Phoenix in 2002, it was money well spent.

After suffering with anxiety and depression most of his life, he was referred to Fannin by his brother, a Phoenix resident.

"I desperately wanted to get off a high dose of Prozac my doctor had me on," he said. "I so wanted to feel better."

After an initial brain mapping in December 2002, Johnson began neurofeedback treatments designed to create dendrites and reroute neural pathways in his brain.

"By December 2003, my D.O. locally who was keeping track of my progress with Dr. Fannin eventually weaned me off Prozac, despite the fact my psychiatrist in North Carolina said that would never be an option," he said. "I felt so good that I fulfilled a lifelong dream and applied for a job with the Foreign Service. I made it to Washington for the final round of testing.

"Neurofeedback isn't every solution to every problem, but it is part of an important recovery process. Drugs aren't always the answer."

Brain Scans Reveal Why Meditation Works

2007-07-02T07:41:00.000-04:00

By Melinda Wenner

29 June 2007 09:08 am ET

If you name your emotions, you can tame them, according to new research that suggests why meditation works.

Brain scans show that putting negative emotions into words calms the brain's emotion center. That could explain meditation’s purported emotional benefits, because people who meditate often label their negative emotions in an effort to “let them go.”

Psychologists have long believed that people who talk about their feelings have more control over them, but they don't know why it works.

UCLA psychologist Matthew Lieberman and his colleagues hooked 30 people up to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machines, which scan the brain to reveal which parts are active and inactive at any given moment.

They asked the subjects to look at pictures of male or female faces making emotional expressions. Below some of the photos was a choice of words describing the emotion—such as “angry” or “fearful”—or two possible names for the people in the pictures, one male name and one female name.

When presented with these choices, the subjects were asked to pick the most appropriate emotion or gender-appropriate name to fit the face they saw.

When the participants chose labels for the negative emotions, activity in the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex region—an area associated with thinking in words about emotional experiences—became more active, whereas activity in the amygdala, a brain region involved in emotional processing, was calmed.

By contrast, when the subjects picked appropriate names for the faces, the brain scans revealed none of these changes—indicating that only emotional labeling makes a difference.

“In the same way you hit the brake when you’re driving when you see a yellow light, when you put feelings into words, you seem to be hitting the brakes on your emotional responses,” Lieberman said of his study, which is detailed in the current issue of Psychological Science.

In a second experiment, 27 of the same subjects completed questionnaires to determine how “mindful” they are.

Meditation and other “mindfulness” techniques are designed to help people pay more attention to their present emotions, thoughts and sensations without reacting strongly to them. Meditators often acknowledge and name their negative emotions in order to “let them go.”

When the team compared brain scans from subjects who had more mindful dispositions to those from subjects who were less mindful, they found a stark difference—the mindful subjects experienced greater activation in the right ventrolateral prefrontral cortex and a greater calming effect in the amygdala after labeling their emotions.

“These findings may help explain the beneficial health effects of mindfulness meditation, and suggest, for the first time, an underlying reason why mindfulness meditation programs improve mood and health,” said David Creswell, a UCLA psychologist who led the second part of the study, which will be detailed in Psychosomatic Medicine. "

http://www.lioncity.net/buddhism/index.php?act=Post&CODE=00&f=8

For a wonderful book on this topic of neurobiology and meditation and how this practice of mindfulness meditation literally changes brain physiology read THE MINDFUL BRAIN by Dan Siegel PhD

Name that feeling: You'll feel better

2007-06-30T07:59:00.000-04:00

Thu Jun 21, 2007 8:58AM EDT

By Julie Steenhuysen

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Putting feelings into words makes sadness and anger less intense, U.S. brain researchers said on Wednesday, in a finding that explains why talking to a therapist -- or even a sympathetic bartender -- often makes people feel better.

They said talking about negative feelings activates a part of the brain responsible for impulse control.

"This region of the brain seems to be involved in putting on the brakes," said University of California, Los Angeles researcher Matthew Lieberman, whose study appears in the journal Psychological Science.

He and colleagues scanned the brains of 30 people -- 18 women and 12 men between 18 and 36 -- who were shown pictures of faces expressing strong emotions.

They were asked to categorize the feelings in words like sad or angry, or to choose between two gender-specific names like "Sally or Harry" that matched the face.

What they found is that when people attached a word like angry to an angry-looking face, the response in the amygdala portion of the brain that handles fear, panic and other strong emotions decreased.

"This seems to dampen down the response in these basic emotional circuits in the brain -- in this case the amygdala," Lieberman said in a telephone interview.

What lights up instead is the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, part of the brain that controls impulses.

"This is the only region of the entire brain that is more active when you choose an emotion word for the picture than when you choose a name for the picture," he said.

He said the same region of the brain has been found in prior studies to play a role in motor control.

"If you are driving along and you see a yellow light, you have to inhibit one response in order to step on the brake," he said. "This same region helps to inhibit emotional responses as well."

The researchers did not find significant differences along gender lines, but Lieberman said prior studies have hinted at some differences in the benefits men and women derive from talking about their feelings.

"Women may do more of this spontaneously, but when men are instructed to do it, they may get more benefit from it," he said.

The results may alter the traditional view of why talking about feelings helps.

"I think we all believe that by talking about our feelings, we reach deep new insights, and that understanding is what transforms us," he said.

"What we see is something that at first blush is far more trivial. By simply putting the name to an emotion, the person doesn't feel like they've come to any new insight. And yet we see this dampening response anyway."

Lieberman said while there likely are benefits to gaining enhanced understanding, talking about feelings may do something more basic.

"It's not just the deep thoughts," he said. "It's something about the way we are built."

Reusable Bags - Save the environment and an animal

2007-06-27T12:00:00.000-04:00

Eco-friendly reusable bags, plus facts & news on plastic bag issue

Billions of plastic bags are choking our planet. All of these "free" bags ultimately cost both consumers and the environment plenty:

Each year billions of bags end up as ugly litter.

Eventually they break down into tiny toxic bits polluting our soil, river, lakes and oceans

Production requires vast amounts of oil.

Countless animals needlessly die each year.

Make a difference, buy Reusablebags.com

Physical/Social Pain Overlap Theory

2007-06-26T22:02:00.000-04:00

A summary of the Eisenberger and Lieberman study on how social pain (exclusion, rejection, loss of relationship) is experienced in the brain in the anterior cingulate cortex the same way physical pain is experienced. Same center of the brain. Social pain or disconnection in or from relationship is a very real biological experience similar to that of physical pain. Let's all continue working toward developing good healing connections with others.

The full study is written up here.

Paul Potts WINS FINALE of Britain's Got Talent

2007-06-18T07:54:00.000-04:00

The back story on this guy is remarkable. Dealing with multiple physical illnesses and tremendously in debt as a result, a cell phone salesman and your basic average Joe - wins Britain's Got Talent.

Next week he is singing for the queen.

Miracles do occur! Follow your dreams and maintain that future focus. You do not need to WIN a competition to be a success - you just need to follow your dreams, intentions and heart to fully express yourself!

Paul Pott's website

"A lump of coal to a diamond"

2007-06-15T08:05:00.000-04:00

From "Britain's Got Talent" - This guy was a cell phone salesman, but had a burning desire and inner need to sing! Check out what happens when one man moves into full self expression!

Let yourself feel the goodness and joy in the world! Anything is possible and it all starts with a belief in yourself! Let diamonds shine!

Recycle and donate old cell phones, computer equipment

2007-06-05T09:09:00.000-04:00

A wonderful way to dispose of, in an environmentally friendly way your old cell phones, PDA devices, computer printers, monitors, ink cartridges etc.

Collective Good has aligned with a number of charitable organizations which you can choose as far as who to donate your cell phone etc. to. Some of the organizations have a prepaid shipping label for you so it doesn't cost but your time to take your package to the post office. You also get a letter of donation for tax purposes. It's a win win all the way around.

Click here to begin.

What are you proud of?

2007-06-04T20:58:00.000-04:00

Happy Pride!

The Stonewall Riots - The beginning of Gay Pride

Each year in June gays and lesbians prance and parade to celebrate Gay Pride Month. The history of Gay Pride Celebrations began in 1969 in Greenwich Village, New York City at the Stonewall Inn.

At the time, it was common all over the United States for police to raid gay and lesbian bars. While they were purportedly looking for liquor law or other violations, patrons were arrested and dragged off to jail with no legitimate charges. The names of those arrested were often published in the papers and many of those people were fired from their jobs as a result.

In 1969 bars were about the only places gays and lesbians could gather in public. Most times, when the police would raid a bar, the gay and lesbian clientele would try to slip out the back or cower in the corners.
Sponsored Links

The Stonewall Riots

But on the night of June 27th, 1969 something different happened. When police raided the Stonewall Inn, the butch lesbians and drag queens fought back. The bar patrons threw bottles and rocks at the police. They chanted, “Gay Power!” For several nights crowds grew outside the Stonewall Inn.

Word quickly spread around the country about the gay people who fought back against the police. The event became known as the Stonewall Rebellion or Stonewall Riots. Although there was a small gay rights movement around the country prior to Stonewall, after 1969 the movement changed.

The 1960s was a time of revolution. The Civil Rights Movement was in full swing and people took to the streets to protest the war in Vietnam. It was only a matter of time before gays and lesbians stood up for their rights as well.

Ever since, gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people celebrate pride and call for basic civil rights by commemorating Stonewall. In New York City they march on the last Saturday in June. Across the US and all over the world, gays and lesbians remember the brave men and women of Stonewall every June in Gay Pride celebrations.

Kyle Maynard - Another of my teachers

2007-05-27T18:25:00.000-04:00

Kyle has his own book out called NO EXCUSES

I saw him first on Oprah as he crawled out onto the stage and Oprah simply waited for him to approach her. He hopped up on her couch and won us all over with his confidence, courage and ABILITY!

Life is full of possibilities! Have fun creating them!

When you're weary feeling small...

2007-05-27T18:06:00.000-04:00

When you need inspiration - click above!
I bow to the resilience and the teacher I see in this man! He proves that life continues in a variety of forms when something changes or is lost. Roadblocks, detours, accidents end up becoming the allowing to create new and greater possibilities. This is just a profound video and this man is a supreme teacher!

Simply FANTASTIC!

Friends - Cake and Confidence

2007-05-05T23:56:00.000-04:00

What a wonderful balance of strength, confidence and gentleness as Chris Richardson and Blake Lewis (American Idol Season 6) comfortably talk about their friendship with each other. Let's hope this is the beginning of a larger conversation about the impact of "good connection" in our lives.

RI TRANS FAT BILL BEING HEARD TODAY!

2007-03-28T08:52:00.000-04:00

The bill H 5072 will be heard this afternoon.

http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText07/HouseText07/H5072.pdf

You can email a message of support to the Health, Education and Welfare Committee Chair at rep-McNamara@rilin.state.ri.us

I would suggest putting the bill number and title in the Subject box
please feel free to send me a copy of the message so I can be sure its
reached the committee. Let me know if you have any further questions.

Helen Drew
Helen.Drew@health.ri.gov

Summary of Bill
=====================================
This act would restrict the use of artificial trans fat in foods prepared and/or served by food businesses and food service establishments.

This act would take effect on July 1, 2007 with respect to cooking oils, shortening, and margarines containing artificial trans fat, and on July 1, 2008 with respect to all other foods containing artificial trans fat.

Take Action: Email Congress/Senate to Protect Wildlife and the Environment

2007-03-28T08:04:00.000-04:00

The National Resources Defense Council has set up an EARTH ACTION CENTER web page where issues such as protecting the environment, marine mammals, polar bears and other wildlife and environmental issues are highlighted. With a simple email signature your message of intent is sent to congress and/or the senate to let your voice be heard on these issues impacting all of us.

In yoga we have a concept known as AHIMSA which means to do "non-violence" to self, other, any sentient living creature or being including the environment. When we close a practice with Namaste, we realize that there are no distinctions or separations between each other and that we are all one living on this planet together - spiritual beings in physical form sharing our experience on earth.

Please consider checking out the Earth Action Center, signing your name and making a difference.

Help Needed: 60 Dogs KILLED in Medical School Study

2007-03-07T11:11:00.000-05:00

This from PCRM:

I am sorry to announce that, despite everyone’s determined efforts, the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) went forward with its live dog lab on Feb. 26, 27, and 28. Sadly, about 60 dogs were killed—but these animals did not die in vain. With your help, we were able to raise public awareness about the dog lab and urge the school to implement humane alternatives. MCW has felt enormous pressure to change, and our efforts will continue.

On Jan. 25, more than 100 people peacefully demonstrated in front of MCW. I was gratified to see such a huge turnout. We asked MCW to cancel the lab, and we encouraged students not to participate. We held another demonstration on Feb. 26, the day the lab began, and more than 60 people joined me in front of the school. Two smaller demonstrations, both well attended, were held on Feb. 27 and 28. For every day the dog lab took place, we were present at MCW to encourage the school to end its use of live animals. And that’s just the beginning of the many successes we have had with this campaign so far:

To date, MCW has received more than 4,000 e-mails urging the school to cancel the live animal lab program and implement humane alternatives.
PCRM gave MCW petitions signed by more than 550 physicians from around the country who oppose the use of animals in medical education at MCW and other medical schools.
PCRM garnered extensive media coverage, including news coverage on local radio stations and all four Milwaukee television stations as well as numerous articles and opinion pieces in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and other newspapers.
In January, PCRM and the Wisconsin Humane Society sponsored a billboard on a Milwaukee freeway that called on motorists to visit PCRM’s Web site about the dog lab and humane alternatives.

Now it’s time to keep the pressure on MCW. School representatives claim that MCW may replace the live dog lab with a live pig lab. Please let MCW know that using any animal in a live lab is cruel and unnecessary. Call MCW Department of Physiology Chairman Allen Cowley Jr., Ph.D., at 414-456-8277 and politely ask him to end the school’s live animal lab program. While our automatic e-mail form is temporarily out of service, you can still use the address below to send Dr. Cowley an e-mail or letter:

Allen Cowley Jr., Ph.D.
Chairman
Department of Physiology
Medical College of Wisconsin
8701 Watertown Plank Rd.
Milwaukee, WI 53226
Phone: 414-456-8277
Fax: 414-456-6546
cowley@mcw.edu

You can also help support PCRM’s efforts to end live animal labs at MCW and other medical schools by making an online donation today. Thanks to generous contributions from our supporters, we were able to initiate this wide-reaching campaign to convince MCW to use humane alternatives. But our work is not done at MCW or the 14 other schools that still conduct live animal labs. We need your help to continue this fight until animals are no longer killed as part of the curriculum at any medical school.

Thanks to PCRM physicians, members, our friends at the Wisconsin Humane Society, and countless others, the pressure we collectively put on MCW this year will greatly help our future work to end MCW’s live animal program. Please visit www.SaveMCWanimals.org/ to learn more about how you can help. If you have any questions, please contact me at rmerkley@pcrm.org or 202-686-2210, ext. 336. Thank you so much for your support.

Best regards,
Ryan Merkley
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

Dolphin Assistance Follow Up

2007-03-07T10:01:00.000-05:00

Thank you for your e-mail to PETA about dolphin slaughter in Japan.

We share your concern about this important issue, and we have contacted the Japanese government about it. We also recommend that you contact the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) for information on how to help. PETA and other groups have collaborated with SSCS may times; they are an excellent organization that specializes in helping whales, seals, dolphins, etc. They already have an active campaign in place to help these dolphins--for more information, please go to http://www.seashepherd.org/taiji/. Here is additional contact information:

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society - International Headquarters
P.O. Box 2616
Friday Harbor, WA 98250 USA
Tel: (USA) 360-370-5650
Fax: (USA) 360-370-5651
Toll Free Information/Donation Hotline (within USA): 800-4-WHALES (800-494-2537)
Email: info@seashepherd.org
http://www.SeaShepherd.org

If the suffering of these dolphins upsets you, then you will be outraged to know that factory farms and slaughterhouses are guilty of the same heart-wrenching cruelty, and on a much larger scale. For more information about factory farms and going vegetarian (or promoting it to others if you already are) please visit http://www.GoVeg.com.

Thank you again for contacting us and for your compassion for animals.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Collins
Senior Correspondent
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

Meet Your Meat: http://www.goveg.com/factoryFarming.asp
Sign up for PETA's eNews: http://www.peta.org/lists.asp

Advocacy Help Needed NOW - Help stop dolphin slaughter in Japan

2007-03-03T13:19:00.000-05:00

Thanks for reading this. I found it so disturbing I really want to get the word out that this is happening. It is VERY HARD to watch. Lots of blood. Animals being killed and dying slowly. The links for the clip and the petition are below.

Please check out this video and then sign the petition. It’s absolutely
appalling. I actually had to turn it off. It’s horrifying and beyond tragically cruel and violent

Killing Dolphins (I warn you, it’s horrific):
http://www.glumbert.com/media/dolphin

TO BY PASS THE GORY IMAGES which are HORRIFIC - Just click here to sign the petition.
Sign the petition to the Japanese PM:
http://www.petitiononline.com/golfinho/petition.html

With confusion, sadness but determination,

Tom

PS. Please be aware that in New England, the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown MA does wonderful work providing hands on leadership, rescue and advocacy by saving whales tangled in fishing nets, researching and advocating to protect and help heal the oceanic environment in this region. Consider making a donation today to help protect these marine animals and their environment.

15 Things You Probably Never Knew or Thought About

2007-02-18T11:08:00.001-05:00

1. At least 5 people in this world love you so much they would die for you.

2. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.

3. The only reason anyone would ever hate you is because they want to be just like you.

4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.

5. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.

6. You mean the world to someone.

7. If not for you, someone may not be living.

8. You are special and unique.

9. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.

10. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good comes from it.

11. When you think the world has turned its back on you, take a look: you most likely turned your back on the world.

12. When you think you have no chance of getting what you want, you probably won't get it, but if you believe in yourself, probably, sooner or later, you will get it.

13. Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude remarks.

14. Always tell someone how you feel about them; you will feel much better when they know.

15. If you have a great friend, take the time to let them know that they are great.

Take a moment to come up with 3 things for which you are grateful, appreciate and have gratitude for! And let that smile come to your face in a way to soothes and reassures you!

Make sure you have checked out THE SECRET

Look what YOGA can do for you!

2007-02-18T10:23:00.001-05:00

See you all at class on Saturday!
Providence 9:00am
Raffa Yoga 4:00pm

Joy and possibility!
Tom

Relax into your truth!

2007-02-16T12:13:00.000-05:00

"Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are."
~Chinese Proverb

URGENT: Advocacy Needed. Save 60 Dog's Lives

2007-02-13T15:28:00.000-05:00

Can you help us end the dog lab at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW)? Every spring, the medical college uses 60 live dogs in a first-year physiology course. At the end of the class, the dogs are killed.

Labs like this were once common, but today more than 85 percent of U.S. medical schools have implemented humane and effective alternatives. MCW owns four state-of-the-art human patient simulators specifically designed to replace animal use for physiology teaching, so MCW president Michael Bolger could implement humane alternatives immediately.

MCW administrators are considering the use of pigs or sheep as replacements. However, this does not address the basic issue—the use of animals is cruel, unnecessary, and educationally inferior to non-animal alternatives.

Top-ranked medical schools such as Harvard, Yale, and the University of Pennsylvania have produced excellent doctors for years without the use of live animal labs in their curricula. It’s time for MCW to follow that example and save the lives of 60 animals.

Contact the Medical College of Wisconsin today. Politely ask administrators to replace live animals with humane non-animal alternatives.

T. Michael Bolger
President and CEO
Medical College of Wisconsin
Office of the President
8701 Watertown Plank Rd.
Milwaukee, WI 53226
Phone: 414-456-8225
(On the recording, dial "2" to
speak with a live person)
Fax: 414-456-6560
tbolger@mcw.edu

Allen Cowley, Jr., Ph.D.
Chairman
Department of Physiology
Medical College of Wisconsin
8701 Watertown Plank Rd.
Milwaukee, WI 53226
Phone: 414-456-8277
Fax: 414-456-6546
cowley@mcw.edu

"GREEN" Dry Cleaning - Safer for you and environment

2007-02-13T08:36:00.000-05:00

Safer Dry Cleaning: Zoots, operates “green” dry cleaning stores in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States and which was recognized by Inc. magazine in 2006 as one of the top 50 green companies in the U.S.

Many people are unaware of possible health risks posed by dry cleaning solvents used by most dry cleaners.

ZOOTS dry cleaning process is different from the industry norm because we do not use perchloroethylene (“perc”), the primary cleaning solvent used by over 85% of dry cleaners.

The EPA has identified perc as a probable carcinogen and a hazardous air pollutant. It has been linked to many serious health problems including several types of cancer and birth defects. Many dry cleaners disguise their use of perc by using misleading words to describe their cleaning process.

Some even use terms such as chemical free, earth friendly or environmentally safe. However, these dry cleaners are often using perc, a probable carcinogen.

ZOOTS’ cleaning is healthier for you and your family and safer for the environment.

• ZOOTS uses a non-toxic, odorless cleaning process that has been thoroughly tested and proven to cause no short or long term health risks.

• Our cleaning agent is 100% biodegradable so it’s completely safe for the environment.

• Our perc-free cleaning process is gentler on your clothes and leaves them without that “dry cleaning” smell.

Healthy choices for safer living

2007-02-02T08:41:00.000-05:00

Seventh Generation Natural Household Cleaning Products.

Learn how to reduce toxins and known carcinogens in your home. Actively participate in helping the environment by making simple choices in household cleaning products. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

For example - If every household in the U.S. replaced just one box of 42 load petroleum based powder laundry detergent with Seventh Generation vegetable based Natural Laundry Detergent, we could save 217,000 barrels of oil, enough to heat and cool 12,500 U.S. homes for a year!

These products available at Whole Foods Markets and Eastside Marketplace.

A must read! Number 157 on Amazon.com

2007-01-30T10:12:00.000-05:00

GET THIS BOOK!

The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health

How what we eat impacts our bodies, emotions and LIVES! A must read!

See what Hillary is saying...

2007-01-26T12:50:00.000-05:00

Hillary has launched her campaign online and is doing some video blogging. I found it particularly interesting listening to a more complete explanation of her thoughts and views on things from health care, supporting gay rights, ending discrimination, stepping up laws on hate crimes, etc. She's looking and sounding good. I've been playing it in the background as I'm doing my computer work.

Listen here: Hillary for President Video

HELP NEEDED NOW - Save Polar Bears from Global Warming and Extinction

2007-01-26T10:01:00.000-05:00

HELP SAVE POLAR BEARS FROM GLOBAL WARMING
The Bush Administration is beginning the review process to decide whether to protect the polar bear, threatened with extinction due to global warming, under the Endangered Species Act. But we must speak up before February 23, 2007, or they will not hold public hearings on this critical matter. Click here to make a difference.

Now teaching yoga EVERY Saturday at Raffa

2007-01-24T22:11:00.000-05:00

In addition to teaching my long standing Freestyle Vinyasa Class in Providence at 9am on Saturdays, I just finalized an agreement with Christine Raffa to take over teaching EVERY Saturday at Raffa Yoga in Cranston at 4:00 p.m.

Hope to see you ON YOUR MAT at one of the locations on Saturday!

In breath together,
Tom

PS. Look for details coming soon about another KEEP A CHILD ALIVE Charity Yoga Class scheduled on Sunday March 4th in Southern RI. This is one of my new joys to be able to present these classes for such a worthy cause. In the end everyone wins, not the least of which are the children in S. Africa living with HIV/AIDS who receive direct medical care and medications as a result of the generous donations of those yogis who take and support these special events.

2 New Yoga Testimonials Posted Online

2007-01-24T12:03:00.000-05:00

Check them out here!

Would love your testimonial as well. Send me an email or post in comments below.

Breathing deeply with you,
Namaste!

Trans Fat Ban bill introduced in MA

2007-01-22T20:21:00.000-05:00

Trans Fat Bans Continue
Wanting to stay ahead of the curve, lawmakers in the state of Massachusetts have introduced a bill that would make Massachusetts the first U.S. state to ban artificial trans fats from restaurants. This occurs only a couple of months after New York City banned the artery-clogging oils from city restaurants. Trans fats have been shown to increase the risk of heart disease and stroke by not only increasing levels of bad LDL cholesterol, but also by reducing levels of the good HDL cholesterol. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Massachusetts is already one of the healthiest states in terms of population obesity. We have an opportunity to vastly improve public health by directing restaurants to switch to healthier alternatives, said Peter Koutoujian, a Democratic representative in the Massachusetts Legislature. The ban would focus solely on the artificial trans fats found in oils many restaurants currently use for frying. The ban would not affect food served directly to consumers contained in the manufacturers originally sealed package, such as potato chips. Some of the more notable food companies that are making the switch away from trans fats include Wendys, Dunkin Donuts, and most recently Starbucks.

Help still needed today...

2007-01-22T12:00:00.000-05:00

The need is year round. Click here to donate whatever you can to KEEP A CHILD ALIVE which helps bring needed HIV/AIDS medications to children and their families of South Africa.

If you saw any news clips of the opening of Oprah Winfrey's Leadership Academy for Girls in S. Africa on January 2, 2007, you heard that some of these kids may for days without eating dinner. One woman said "we have not eaten dinner last night, and are not able to tonight, but I think we will be able to tomorrow". HELP IN THE FORM OF ACTION IS NEEDED TODAY! Talk is cheap! Sympathy is not helpful! Compassion is Action is priceless!

From KCA website: AIDS is 25 years old this year. It has affected every country in the world infecting 65 million people and killing 25 million.

The face of AIDS is female. In Sub-Saharan Africa three women are infected for every two men and among 15-24 year olds three women are infected for every man.

One tenth of the world's population live in Sub-Saharan Africa, yet they are home to almost 64 percent of all people living with AIDS.

Nine in ten children with HIV live in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In Africa, one in five female students reported that their first sexual experience had been coerced.

72 percent of all people who need AIDS treatment are in Sub-Saharan Africa, yet only 17 percent are able to access it.

Today I was thinking....

2007-01-21T11:57:00.000-05:00

So I've been thinking about my yoga practice and the ways it impacts my life lately. I have to tell you that who I am today as a result of yoga is a transformation in the making. I have literally begun warning people that "if you start this yoga stuff, just be prepared, because the changes, that you cannot even imagine, will begin to occur for you in your life". And I do not mean this lightly or flippantly.

I have noticed I am much more aware, not just of myself which can include the aspects of myself I am very please with and proud of all the way to the other end of the continuum where let's just say, the areas of enhancement lie. But it happens without judgement. It's the awareness that fascinates me. To be able to cultivate this observing mind and simply 'notice'. This extends to the meaning and perception of things that allow me to feel much more grounded in my life - despite what the day may bring. Now if I'm being honest, I can react to the world around me just as anyone else but the awareness of CHOICES in how to RESPOND to those REACTIONS has become greatly amplified as a result of a meditational and yoga practice.

In yoga we talk about "ahimsa" - the concept and practice of doing no harm to self, other, including the environment and animals with which we share this environment. By choice, I have moved to a 95% vegetarian diet.

It was through yoga that I was led to a more whole foods and vegetarian way of eating. This of course is just another way to respect myself, my body, and the environment. "Ahimsa". The new book The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health further supports this approach to nurturing and HEALING vs. abusing our bodies. I recommend this book as a must read for EVERYONE! Teens included!

I have also become very aware of the impact of the chemicals we use in our homes and on our bodies and moved to more natural products. A wonderful company that is committed to the environment and teaching a greener way to live is Seventh Generation . Their products are readily available and affordable at Whole Foods Markets and Eastside Marketplace. It was the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy that reminds us that "In every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations". Click here to read about the difference and health benefits to you, your children, pets and the environment simply by switching laundry detergents.

So this is my thinking today. Consider taking a yoga class, but be very aware of the transformation in your own life and the unexpected blessings or gifts that will come your way. It all comes down to living fully the life we are meant to live and aligning our choices and actions in a way that supports the full self expression of our spirit!

Namaste! (The divine in my honors and recognizes the divine in you!)

On Patience

2007-01-19T08:45:00.000-05:00

6 Foods to Keep Your Mind Young

2007-01-14T23:14:00.000-05:00

From YOU: The Owner’s Manual, by RealAge experts Michael F. Roizen, MD, and Mehmet C. Oz, MD

Generally, what’s harmful to your heart also is harmful to your brain. Make no mistake about it -- while fried potato skins are busting your buttons, there’s also a portion that gets shuttled up through your arteries to your gray matter.

Saturated fats, for example, clog arteries that lead to your brain, putting you at risk of stroke, while omega-3 fatty acids -- the good fats found in fish -- are helpful for your brain because they help keep your arteries clear. They also alter your neurotransmitters and reduce depression.

Click here to see the best foods to keep your brain and young.

The Dirty Dozen

2007-01-13T17:06:00.000-05:00

A simulation of thousands of consumers eating high and low pesticide diets shows that people can lower their pesticide exposure by 90 percent by avoiding the top twelve most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated instead. Eating the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables will expose a person to nearly 20 pesticides per day, on average. Eating the 12 least contaminated will expose a person to a fraction over 2 pesticides per day. With that in mind, the Environmental Working Group brings us their list of the most contaminated (the dirty dozen!) and least contaminated fruits and vegetables out there.

12 Most Contaminated - Buy These Organic
• Apples
• Bell Peppers
• Celery
• Cherries
• Imported Grapes
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pears
• Potatoes
• Red Raspberries
• Spinach
• Strawberries

12 Least Contaminated - OK to buy these conventional
• Asparagus
• Avocados
• Bananas
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Corn (sweet)
• Kiwi
• Mangos
• Onions
• Papaya
• Pineapples
• Peas (sweet)

YOU TUBE - Just for fun!

2007-01-06T13:00:00.000-05:00

You Tube has become part of our online culture as much as Google has become a verb in everyday language. In honor of You Tube and the countless hours we can all waste, I mean SPEND on it - I have added my FAVORITE YOU TUBE VIDEO list.

As an appetizer, from You Tube, for the straight women in our lives! Click here.

Have a favorite You Tube video? Let me know (in comments below) and maybe I'll add yours to my FAVORITE YOU TUBE VIDEO List!

RI Gov't responds regarding Trans Fat Ban in RI Restaurants

2007-01-03T15:09:00.000-05:00

Dear Mr. Fronczak:

Thank you for contacting our office regarding the possibility of banning trans fat in RI restaurants.

The most productive step you can take in initiating this into law would be to request of your State Representative and/or Senator to introduce a bill to the General Assembly. You would determine your State Representative or Senator by visiting this web page http://www.sec.state.ri.us/elections/findyourofficials/index.html

Also, contact the RI Department of Health at 222-2231 to inquire on any information they could provide you with to begin your quest.

We hope this is helpful and Good Luck!

Sincerely,

The Governor's Office of Constituent Services

Help Ban TRANS FATS in RI restaurants

2006-12-27T13:43:00.000-05:00

I've been very interested in helping stop the use of trans-fats in restaurants here in RI. As you are likely well aware these play into a host of serious and life threatening medical conditions, including but not limited to heart disease, stroke, high cholesterol, arterial damage, and many more listed below.

Why I am concerned is that as a health conscious individual while I can moniter how I prepare foods at home and which foods I choose to purchase, restaurants can put these transfats in foods which we the customer are unaware.

I would like to mobilize our elected officials and state government to follow NYC and the discussions in MA re banning trans fat use from restaurants. Please help me do so by contacting your elected officials, and the RI Dept of Health. There is also the RI Dietetic Association at www.eatrightri.org

Below is an email re this from Rep Kennedy...

You can find your elected official at http://www.ri.gov/government/index.php?subcategory=29&linkgroup=3

This is the top 10 list of where you're most likely to get your trans fats:

1. Margarine. Try to choose tub margarine, which will have the least amount of both trans and saturated fats.
2. Packaged foods. Things like cake mixes, Bisquick, they tend to add fat into the mix. Do-it-yourself baking allows you to reduce the fat.
3. Soups. Both dried and liquid soups can contain very high levels of trans fats. Try making your own.
4. Fast food. Primarily I mean those foods deep-fat fried, even when some chains indicate they use liquid oil instead of partially hydrogenated oil sometimes trans fats are sprayed on products in the food manufacturing. Order grilled chicken or skip the fries.
5. Frozen food. This included products from frozen dinners to frozen chicken, frozen breaded fish or chicken, pizzas. Check the label. Even if it says low fat, it can still have trans fat. Choose frozen food with the lowest grams of total fat.
6. Baked goods. Donuts, cookies, cakes, frostings, all have plenty of trans fats. Make them at home or eat them less often or in smaller quantities.
7. Candy and cookies. Lots of trans fats lurking in this area. If it contains chocolate or coconut or other high-fat items, satisfy your sweet tooth with things like hard candies or jelly beans, which don't have any fat.
8. Chips and crackers. Go for baked if you must have your chips. Choose low-fat crackers. Think pretzels and other alternatives that have no fat.
9. Breakfast food. From cereals to breakfast bars, trans fats can be found in this category. You need to read the label and choose cereals that have no fat and breakfast and granola bars that are low in fat.
10. Toppings, dips, and condiments. These would be things like salad dressing, mayonnaise, gravy, whipped toppings, nondairy creamers, hot fudge. Wherever you can, try to substitute a lower-fat alternative. For example, use oil and vinegar instead of a creamy salad dressing; low-fat milk instead of nondairy creamers.

Definition of Trans fat

Trans fat: An unhealthy substance, also known as trans fatty acid, made through the chemical process of hydrogenation of oils. Hydrogenation solidifies liquid oils and increases the shelf life and the flavor stability of oils and foods that contain them. Trans fat is found in vegetable shortenings and in some margarines, crackers, cookies, snack foods and other foods.

Trans fats are also found in abundance in "french fries." To make vegetable oils suitable for deep frying, the oils are subjected to hydrogenation, which creates trans fats. Among the hazards of fast food, "fries" are prime in purveying trans fats.

Trans fats wreak havoc with the body's ability to regulate cholesterol. In the hierarchy of fats, the polyunsaturated fats which are found in vegetables are the good kind; they lower your cholesterol. Saturated fats have been condemned as the bad kind. But trans fats are far worse. They drive up the LDL ("bad") cholesterol. which markedly increases the risk of coronary artery heart disease and stroke. According to a recent study of some 80,000 women, for every 5% increase in the amount of saturated fat a woman consumes, her risk of heart disease increases by 17%. But only a 2% increase in trans fats will increase her risk of heart disease by 93%!

-----------------
Forwarded Message:
Subj: Re: Question re RI Govt..
Date: 12/27/2006 12:47:32 P.M. Eastern Standard Time
From: rep_kennedy_rilin_state_ri_us@yahoo.com
To: TJFronczak@aol.com
Sent from the Internet (Details)

Dear Tom,
I've been following with interest the recent New York City transfat ban and the discussions in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for a possible statewide ban on transfats in prepared foods. I would expect that a couple of similar bills will be introduced in Rhode Island during the 2007 session.

Within Rhode Island State Government, the best place to inquire about healthy eating issues, is the Department of Health. I don't know if they're focused on the transfat issue at this point in time, but I'd say that would be the first avenue to pursue.

Department of Health
Office of Food Protection
Room 203
3 Capitol Hill
Providence, RI
02908-5097
(401) 222-2749
FAX:(401) 222-4775
Ernest Julian, Ph.D., Chief

Sincerely,
Brian Patrick Kennedy
District 38-State Representative
Chairman-House Committee on Corporations

TJFronczak@aol.com wrote:
Dear Rep. Kennedy

Quick question.. Just talking with family and friends about the trans fat ban in restaurants in NYC... Its a great idea we all thought having just found out that one of our favorite pizza places uses trans fat in their pizza dough and to grease their pizza pans! Trans fat! And we never knew.

Who or what is the best branch of RI Govt to send letters, email to to try to get a similar ban here in RI?

Thanks for your help and attention to this matter.

Discussion Group Beginning in January: A Course In Miracles

2006-12-23T20:23:00.000-05:00

A Course In Miracles is "a unique, universal, self-study spiritual thought system that teaches the way to Love and Inner Peace is through forgiveness".

This discussion group which will meet twice a month for one hour is open to participants interested in studying more about A Course In Miracles. Day and time are yet to be determined. We could meet in my office or perhaps and more comfortably, rotate meeting locations at members homes. Again, this is an informal discussion group and the details will be determined by the interested members. Limited to 10 participants. If you are interested respond in the comment section below or be in touch with me by email only.

I am looking forward as a peer participant to join in the learning with you all.

So what is A Course In Miracles? Here is a summary from the above website.

A Course in Miracles is a complete self-study spiritual thought system. It teaches that the way to universal love and peace—or remembering God—is by undoing guilt through forgiving others. The Course thus focuses on the healing of relationships and making them holy. A Course in Miracles also emphasizes that it is but one version of the universal curriculum, of which there are "many thousands." Consequently, even though the language of the Course is that of traditional Christianity, it expresses a non-sectarian, non-denominational spirituality. A Course in Miracles therefore is a universal spiritual teaching, not a religion.

A Course in Miracles was "scribed" by Dr. Helen Schucman through a process of inner dictation she identified as coming from Jesus. A clinical and research psychologist and tenured Associate Professor of Medical Psychology, she was assisted by Dr. William Thetford, her department head, who was also a tenured Professor of Medical Psychology at the Medical Center where they both worked.

What exactly, then, is A Course in Miracles? The summary introduction, which appears in its Text, is quite succinct and brief. It reads:

"This is a course in miracles. It is a required course. Only the time you take it is voluntary. Free will does not mean that you can establish the curriculum. It means only that you can elect what you want to take at a given time. The course does not aim at teaching the meaning of love, for that is beyond what can be taught. It does aim, however, at removing the blocks to the awareness of love's presence, which is your natural inheritance. The opposite of love is fear, but what is all-encompassing can have no opposite.

This course can therefore be summed up very simply in this way:

Nothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal exists.

Herein lies the peace of God.

Laughter Yoga

2006-12-23T20:06:00.000-05:00

I am in the process of registering to become a trained Laughter Yoga Teacher. CNN recently did a story about the healing power of laughter which caught my attention. I am also very aware of the relationship between laughter and a sense of interpersonal connection. Since so much of my work is relationally influenced, I thought this would be a fantastic modality of transformation toward emotional health and wellness.

Keep your eye open for Laughter Yoga experiences in 2007. Just put your name on my email list and I will keep you updated.

hahahahahahahha
LOL!
hee hee hee.... hahah..

Did you know it takes less muscles to smile than it does to frown?!

The True Meaning of the Season!

2006-12-18T22:12:00.000-05:00

Click here to view my festive holiday expression.

Life tends to be so full this time of year. I'm feeling it just like you are. As opposed to becoming overwhelmed by it, I'm actually enjoying just NOTICING and BEING WITH it all. (This yoga does pay off!)

In the end it's all about making room for the full range of our human experience and maybe even laughing at the intensity we can all bring to our lives sometimes. My greatest wish for you all is for a very happy, blessed and peaceful holiday season.

Holiday season 2006 only comes once. Don't miss it. Life follows our thoughts. What are your thoughts regarding the holiday? Better yet, what kind of holiday do YOU want to take responsibility for creating?

Namaste!

Charity Yoga Class - The true meaning of GIVING

2006-12-04T18:05:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone. I am thrilled to let you know that as of today, the money still keeps coming in for Keep A Child Alive.

It was very well attended and what a great group of people. Men and women alike who all really took time out of busy lives during holiday shopping season, on a Sunday no less from 3-5pm and used their lives to make a difference in the lives of children and families living with HIV in South Africa. The theme was one of using our lives to make a difference, what Seane Corn coined as "Spiritual Activism", getting off our mats and moving out into the world. Well let me tell you, these folks did it. We went thru bottles of water, sweat flying and I dont even want to know what these folks hip flexors are gonna feel like tomorrow!! haha.. but it was fun. I enjoyed presenting it and for those of you who were able to show your support and attend I appreciate that very much.

** If you were not able to attend but would still like to contribute, its not too late. You can certainly do that and its most appreciated at www.keepachildalive.org. And its time to call in some favors, For all of you I have sponsored in marathons and 5K runs -- Its YOUR TURN!!! In one of the cutest donations ever, Henrys 14 yo daughter took $10 of her baby sitting money and gave it to me for "the kids". People who could not even attend the class left off or sent in donations. This really hit a nerve with folks. (you can even have KCA debit a cc or debit card monthly to keep one child alive for $30 a month..... How much are you spending on junk food, snacks, coffee per day???

In our yoga, when we say Namaste we realize that that child in S Africa is US! And as long as anyone is living with HIV, we all are! Thanks for whatever help and support you can offer.

I am very pleased to say that we raised $1420.00 all of which goes directly to KCA. This is what a group of yogis did while on their mats for 2 hours! I thank all of those who contributed so generously and gave of themselves so completely for this event. Based on the turnout and outcome - look for the 2nd annual Keep A Child Alive yoga event around World AIDS Day 2007.

In a way to give back to those who supported us we had a raffle and raffled off 3- 60 massage sessions. (Thank you Raffa Neuromuscular Treatment Center, Henry Przybylowicz LMT, Phil Matos LMT, and 2 personal training sessions with my trainer Matt Fontaine ACE CPT and yoga accessories). Thank you to everyone who donated their time and services to make this successful. Thank you of course to Christine Raffa for donating the space and developing signs to promote the event and to all the Raffa yoga instructors for letting folks know about the class.

Gifting: As an act of appreciation and celebration

2006-12-02T22:13:00.000-05:00

Birthdays. Holidays. Mother's Day. Father's Day. Bosses Day. "The calendar says December 25th, gotta get him/her something". Are they going to get me something? How much should I spend? Last year he spent $25.00 on my gift; maybe I should stay in that price range? What is appropriate? Is it too soon in the relationship to buy a gift for someone? What does Miss Manners say about all this? It can be all so confusing.

Sound familiar? It's all meaningless! People are driving themselves crazy. Of course its confusing because people (not necessarily you, but maybe people you know or have read about!!!!!!), are allowing external influences to impact the desire and wisdom of their hearts.

Society says this. Our cultural traditions say that. "But my parents always did it this way". "My teacher used to always tell me.......", its utter and literal nonsense and crazy-making.

Whenever we live a life driven and controlled by the expectations of others or influences outside of us we have just given control over to "them". We no longer live a life that is authentic and genuine, but we respond as robots in empty habitual empty ways. So the calendar says his birthday is November 2. "I better buy a gift". Flip the page and the calendar says December 25th. "I better buy a gift".

WHO SAYS?

Do you want to live a life designed and scripted by someone else, even if that someone else is the society or culture at large? Take your life and hang it up "in the closet" because let me suggest you are NOT living your life, but a life dictated by others.

As a gay man I can tell you the first 26 years of my life were about pleasing others. Doing what others expected, what they needed, and not living in a way that was true to myself. It was all about filling that role that I inadvertently took on and/or others expected or needed of me. I may as well just handed the keys to my life over to someone and let them sit in the drivers seat.

It was at the point of "coming out" that I truly began stepping into the experience of living fully and honestly with myself and others. No longer was I consumed with what or who others needed me to be, but I became my own man and began moving to the beat of my own heart.

For me, to give a gift because the calendar says I should, or someone expects I should is such a non-starter these days. More important to me is that I am in ownership of my thoughts, feelings and actions. My friends and family will let you know I am a fairly generous guy. I don't give out of expectation, but from a sense of desire. I have chosen to step into the role of chief choreographer of my own life. What this means is that frankly, I don't care to give a gift because it' s someones birthday or a holiday. I choose to give a gift because I am thinking about someone and want to share my appreciation, love and care to them. For me its about becoming aware of what I am feeling and finding a symbolic way to express that outside of simply verbally sharing it with someone. Now mind you it may throw some people off. "But it's not my birthday, why did you buy me this?"

I challenge you this holiday season to look at your giving pattern and style. It is one that is internally or externally motivated and influenced. Are you in ownership of your desire to give? Do you need validation or praise for your giving or do you do it because it feels natural and right for you?

The older I get the more I frankly care less about giving based on the calendars mandate. I prefer to give today because who you are touched me today. Maybe this is also the influence of my yoga practice - to be IN THIS MOMENT. To pay attention and with great awareness move in a way that is truthful and congruent to what I may be feeling inside.

Honor yourself and live in your truth. Buy the gift today, because today is all we have. Tomorrow while expected, is not promised.

I'm reminded of the story of a wonderful but very frugal woman who bought a red dress that she saw in a dress store window and fell in love with. She saved her money, got the dress and took it home (keeping it in its plastic wrap) and awaiting that special day where she would wear it and feel like the belle of the ball. Her husband offered to take her out to dinner so she could wear her dress, but she chose not to since she did not want to soil it. At their son's wedding he encouraged her to wear the dress which she admired so, but she told him she was afraid she may step on it and rip it while dancing. Well years went by and the perfect and safe time to wear the dress never seemed to materialize.

As the woman became older and more frail, one day she was rushed to the hospital and never made it out alive. Many mourned for her. The funeral director, while very gentle, asked some important questions to prepare for the wake and funeral. When asked about what he should bury her in, her widowed husband turned to his son and said "do you think it would be ok to bury mom in the red dress she loved so much?".

Don't wait till your death bed to wear the red dress. The time is NOW.
Don't wait till the holiday to buy someone a gift to show your love and appreciation. The time is NOW.
Don't wait for the birthday to buy the card. Do it NOW.

In fact do it often. When you go to Starbucks, leave an extra $5.00 with the server at the counter and have her put it toward the woman behind you in lines tab. Give the bus boy a few dollars on the side to keep for himself for refilling that water glass. We've all be 15 and 16 and a few bucks can feel like $100.00 sometimes. Offer to pay for dessert for the couple at the table next to you, in fact tell their server on the side, that you insist. Rake the elderly woman's leaves next door for no reason other than to help and let her know you are thinking about her. Can you imagine how long she will tell that story at subsequent bridge games. The list goes on and on. How do we give? When should we give?

Throw those questions out. Breathe. Listen to your heart. Come from a place of ownership in your life and how you express yourself in the world.

LIVE LIFE NOW and share your love today. Tomorrow, while expected, is not promised!

Namaste!

Teaching at Raffa Yoga this Saturday

2006-11-29T18:13:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone. Just checking in to say hi. Hope all is well with you. Definitely a busy time of the year, isn't it? That is always a great cue to make sure you are taking good self-care. If you are available, in addition to teaching a 9am yoga class in Providence (Richmond Square), I will also begin teaching fairly regularly at Raffa Yoga (1145 Reservoir Ave, Cranston, RI). My December teaching schedule at Raffa Yoga looks as follows: Saturday Dec 2 and again on Saturday Dec 16 at 4:00pm - 5:30pm. Stop by and take some healing time for yourself! See you on the mat! Raffa Yoga class is $13.00 and $3.00 for a mat rental if needed.

Happy Thanksgiving

2006-11-23T10:33:00.000-05:00

A day off, a day to catch up, a day to connect. It can be all this and so much more. Sitting here at my computer this morning after making what looks to be a wonderful Pumpkin Apple-Butter pie (recipe from Paula Dean, the 'stick of butter' lady - God Bless her arteries!), I find myself reflecting on many different things.

There is so much that takes place in all of our lives that we simply just take for granted. We woke up this morning! Do you know what a big deal that is. And in truth, many did not wake up this morning. Or some, even in the USA, woke up hungry and not knowing where their next meal was coming from. It's a truth, yet so far from our awareness unless attention is drawn to it. We have computers to read such blogs! Some are without homes, jobs, enough money to even buy a single Holiday gift for a their child. Yet we don't necessarily think about that every day. Many of you know I love the Keep A Child Alive organization that gives needed HIV/AIDS meds to children and their families in Africa. I wonder as I sit down to a wonderfully healthy, tasty and over abundant meal today, what will that child have for dinner or worse yet, will they have even ONE meal today.

I don't find any of us wrong for not holding such thoughts and awarenesses in our minds throughout the day. We are "very busy" after all. But once the awareness is there, then we can't act as if we don't know. Of course then we are confronted with a sense of overwhelming inadequacy - "I'm just one person - what can I do"? Or "I already gave" (somehow absolving ourselves from a need to be present to what continues to occur today)!

Some of you have heard me speak of the wonderful story about the little boy walking along the beach at low tide when all he could see for miles were starfish washed up upon the beach, destined to dry out in the sun or be eaten by the sea gulls. Being of kind heart and unlimited potential, he began walking down the beach picking up starfish one at a time and tossing them back into the water, back into life. Now an elder man was walking down the beach and saw the boy and say "hey sonny, what do you think you're doing". The boy replied "I'm saving the starfish". The older man laughed and said "you can't do that. Look, down the beach there are thousands of starfish, you will never be able to save them and make a difference". With that the little boy bent down. Picked up a starfish. Looked at in inquisitively. And tossed it back into the water. The boy looked at the older man and said "I made a difference in that one's life".

We are all on this earth for a reason. It is no accident. It is no surprise that you are reading this sharing now, nor that I am thinking of this today on this day of Thanks. It's time to roll up our sleeves EVERYONE and look out into the world, beyond the boundary of our own being and experience. It's time to begin to think about what difference can we make, be it for a starfish, a homeless person, someone living with HIV, wild and domestic animals without a voice, or the middle aged neighbor or old friend who is home lonely today. Who have you not called for a while?

How dare we not use our lives to make a difference in this world. Who are we to allow our talents, skills, love and ability to go to waste. On this day of thanks, lets pause together for a moment and appreciate what we have.............................................................(no really... pause!!!)

And now think about the difference that you can make today in the life of another or the world.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Poz.com poll results on HIV disclosure

2006-11-19T09:46:00.000-05:00

In a recent poll (7/06) on poz.com the question was asked of those living with HIV: Have you ever withheld your [HIV] status in order to have sex with someone?

Results:
Yes - 45%
No - 55%

As you can see it is nearly half of the folks living with HIV who are not sharing their HIV status. Did neither partner talk about HIV and safer sex before their experience with each other? Whose responsibility is it? Just the person living with HIV? In the end, each person is responsible for their own sexual health, safety and behavior. Care enough about yourself to ask the important questions within a relationship of trust.

Whether two or more people agreed that a sexual encounter is simply a casual one time 'hook-up', designed to be playful, fun or in celebration of your sexuality or an experience of emotional connection and deeper meaning, be sure to consider the value and worth of yourself as a man or woman and take responsibility for your sexual health! You are worth it!

Your comments and feedback are always welcome. This could be an interesting discussion thread.

Anonymous Gifting for no reason! Make a difference in someones life today!

2006-11-19T09:38:00.001-05:00

Illness unmasks generous ‘Secret Santa’

Missouri exec gives money to needy, reveals ID to pass mission to others

The Associated Press

Updated: 10:08 p.m. ET Nov 16, 2006

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The answer to one of the happiest mysteries in the Kansas City area is being revealed this year.

A man who has given away millions of dollars and become known as Secret Santa for handing out Christmas cash to the needy is allowing his name to be publicized after 26 years.

But the reason for the revelation is an unhappy one. Secret Santa has cancer. He wants to start speaking to community groups about his belief in random acts of kindness, but he can't do that without telling people who he is.

The man who has spread cheer for 26 years is Larry Stewart, 58, of Lee's Summit, who made his millions in cable television and long-distance telephone service.

Stewart told The Kansas City Star that he was the man who would walk up to complete strangers, hand them $100 bills, wish them "Merry Christmas" and walk away, leaving astonished and grateful people in his wake. He handed out money throughout the year, but he said it was the Christmas giving that gave him the most joy.

Devoted life to returning favors
Now, he wants to inspire others to do the same. He said he thinks that people should know that he was born poor, was briefly homeless, dropped out of college, has been fired from jobs, and once even considered robbery.

But he said every time he hit a low point in his life, someone gave him money, food and hope, and that's why he has devoted his life to returning the favors.

Stewart grew up in Bruce, Miss., reared by his elderly grandparents, who survived on $33 a month and welfare staples. They heated water on the stove for baths and used an outhouse.

After he left home and college, he found himself out of work in 1971. After sleeping in his car for eight nights and not eating for two days, Stewart went to the Dixie Diner in Houston, Miss., and ordered breakfast. When the bill came, he acted as if he'd lost his wallet.

The diner owner came to him.

"You must have dropped this," the owner said, slipping a $20 bill into the young man's hand.

He paid, pushed his car to the gas station, and left town. But he vowed to remember the stranger's kindness, and to help others, when he could.

Triple failure
He arrived in Kansas City because he had a cousin here. He got married and started his own company, with money from his father-in-law.

But the company failed in 1977 and he couldn't pay the bills. It was the lowest point in his life.

"I was a failure in business. I was a failure as a husband. I was a failure as a father," he remembers thinking.

He got into his car with a handgun and thought about robbing a store. But he stopped and went home — and got a call from his brother-in-law, offering him money to tide him over.

After being fired from two jobs on two successive Christmases, Stewart stopped at a drive-in. Although he had little money himself, Stewart gave a cold and miserable carhop the change from a $20, much to her delight.

That's when Stewart's mission to secretly give away money at the holidays began.

Eventually, Stewart became a success and started Network Communications in 2002. The firm used independent sales agents to enroll customers for Sprint long-distance service.

In 1996, an arbitration panel ordered Sprint to pay Network and its sales agents $60.9 million in commissions it owed. Stewart got $5.2 million.

The poor boy from Mississippi now had a family, lived in a nice house and drove nice cars.

So, he started giving away more money, to dozens of causes. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. The Salvation Army. The National Paralysis Foundation. The ALS Foundation. He supports the Metropolitan Crime Commission's Surviving Spouse and Family Endowment program.

And, all along, he gave away money to needy strangers.

But Christmas was special. He'd distribute thousands of dollars during visits to coin laundries, thrift stores, barbershops and diners.

People shouted with joy, cried, praised the Lord, and thanked Stewart repeatedly.

But Secret Santa moved on quickly to avoid attention.

Reporters sworn to secrecy
He did sometimes invite newspaper and TV reporters along, if they promised not to reveal his identity. It was reporters who dubbed him "Secret Santa."

In 1989, after some people chased his car when they saw the cash he carried, he decided he needed protection. He called Jackson County Sheriff's Capt. Tom Phillips.

"I thought, 'OK, this guy's nuts,'" recalls Phillips, now the Jackson County sheriff. "But at the end of the day, I was in tears — literally — just seeing what he did to people."

Eventually, Secret Santa took his sleigh ride to other places.

In 2001, after the terrorist attacks, he went to New York. The New York cop who accompanied him said he'd never forget the experience.

In 2002, Secret Santa was in Washington, D.C., victimized by the serial snipers. In 2003, it was San Diego neighborhoods devastated by wildfires. And in 2004, he was in Florida, helping thousands left homeless by three hurricanes.

Last Christmas, Secret Santa went back to Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina battered the Gulf Coast.

He stopped in Houston, Miss., where the diner owner had helped him so many years ago. On a previous visit he had surprised the owner, Ted Horn, with $10,000. This time, they stamped $100 bills with the name "Ted Horn," and gave Horn money to distribute. And Horn took money from his own bank account to give away, too.

Secret Santa’s ‘elves’
Stewart has enlisted "elves" for years — George Brett, the late Buck O'Neil, Dick Butkus. He's already inspired copycats.

Four other Secret Santas plan to distribute a total of $70,000 of their own cash this year.

And Secret Santa plans to give away $100,000 this year. Since he started, he estimates he's given out more than $1.3 million in Christmas cash.

But this will likely be the last Christmas for Stewart's tradition. In April, doctors told Stewart that he had cancer of the esophagus. It had spread to his liver. He needed treatment, fast.

With help from Brett, he got into a clinical trial at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Texas. Doctors tell him the tumors have shrunk, but they can't say whether the cancer is in remission.

"I pray for that man every single day," former Kansas City Chiefs star Deron Cherry — one of Stewart's elves — says. "There's a lot of people praying for him."

George Carlin's Views on Aging

2006-11-16T17:00:00.001-05:00

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

"How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key.

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

"How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life . . . you become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony . . YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.

You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80s and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going
backwards; "I Was JUST 92."

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!" May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG:
Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay "them."

Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

Enjoy the simple things.

Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your sanctuary.

Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Immune Booster Soup

2006-11-16T07:29:00.000-05:00

4 cups of mushroom or chicken broth
1 small yellow onion, chopped
4-10 cloves garlic, to taste, crushed and chopped
2 carrots, grated
4-8 shitake mushrooms, sliced
3 tablespoons grated gingerroot, to taste
1 fresh lemon, juiced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. Bring the broth, onion, garlic, carrots, mushrooms and gingerroot to a slow boil. Reduce heat and simmer on low, covered for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
2. Remove from heat; add the lemon juice and parsley. Cover and steep for 5 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Yoga Journal. Provided by Debra Brammer, N.D.

This soup is easy to make and delicious. The freshness is evident from first taste. The fresh lemon juice makes a difference. There is a near immediate warming feeling inside after eating. I love it!

LOGO channel coming to RI? I think so!

2006-11-13T11:08:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone. I just got off the phone with the gentleman I've been speaking with for what seems like almost a year now regarding bringing LOGO (MTV's GLBT channel) to the Cox digital lineup.

This update is the most promising I have heard to date.

"It's going to happen" I was told. They are in contractual agreement talks right now with MTV/LOGO. It's an issue of bandwidth and trying to balance the cost/bandwidth issue without raising cost of cable to the viewers. Serious negotiation has been going on for the past 2 months!

I was told the response has been "huge" and that the channel has been "highly requested".

So a special thank you to all of you who have worked so hard by calling, emailing, and sending letters to bring LOGO to RI. Well done!!!!

So get excited! And see what's coming! LOGO website

Presenting 'Keep A Child Alive' at Raffa Yoga Today

2006-11-12T07:25:00.000-05:00

I'm excited to be announcing the special Keep A Child Alive Charity Yoga Class this morning at Raffa Yoga. In a class of about 40-50 people to be able to spread the word about the worthy and critically urgent and important work this organization does feels so good! It will allow for even more expansive range of awareness and assistance! You can help too by donating at keepachildalive.org.

Here are some of the highlights I want to present this morning:

In South Africa there are an estimated 5.5-6.5 million people infected with HIV

Largest number infected in the entire world

Of those, there are an estimated 230,000 children living with AIDS in South Africa
The reality is without medication 50% of these HIV infected kids die before the age of 2. And unfortunately, 80% die before the age of 8.

In South Africa there are over 1 million children are orphaned as a direct result of parents dying from AIDS related causes. 200,000 children are orphaned every year. This leaves children literally raising children. Entire generation is being wiped out. Grandmothers are also helping raise these kids.

Keep A Child Alive works to get life sustaining antiretrovirals (ARVs) to these children and their families and can do so for under $1.00 a day.

Join such celebrities as Alicia Keyes, Bono, Elton John, Cher, Nelly, Dave Matthews Coldplay, and others.