Life is Healthy

In a few days, I will turn 41.

I will be offline, hanging out at one of my favourite places in the world. I am not sure how peaceful it will be (we will be there with four adults, two kids, two puppies and a grown up dog) but I know it will be happy.

Last year my birthday was a very big deal. My friends and co-workers pooled their resources and sent me to BlogHer in Chicago. And there was a whole month of celebration leading up to the day itself. I was celebrating being alive, turning forty and my first clean scan after the metastasis.

This year I am happy to have things be much lower key. I am feeling pretty lucky these days.

In January, I acknowledged to myself that there were two things I really wanted this year, to attend BlogHer in San Francisco and a puppy. Thanks (again) to generosity from others (and the fact that I spoke at BlogHer this year), both of those things have been realized for me.

That’s a lot. And it’s enough.

Especially when I realize that every birthday marks another year that I have been alive in this beautiful world. Another year surrounded by people I love and in which I have the chance to learn and grow and become stronger.

I have been feeling a little off balance lately, tired and frustrated and somewhat overwhelmed. It’s good to have a birthday to remind me again how lucky I am. And with four clean scans now under my belt, I hope to have lots more chances to celebrate my birthday.

Now that’s not to say that I don’t want a little cake with a few candles and some home made cards from my kids (and I did treat myself to a facial before I left for SF). Even a low-key birthday needs to be celebrated.

I'll be back online on August 11th.

Cross-posted to Mothers With Cancer.

Bill has lost 60 pounds in six months. He went from 240 pounds to 180 pounds by working out regularly at the gym and snacking on fruit instead of junk food.

He got motivated to do it after visiting the doctor and learning he was starting to get diabetes and had high blood pressure.

He says, "I went from a 40 waist to a 34. I feel fantastic. I sleep a lot better. I've got a lot more flexibility. I swing a golf club a lot better now."

See his weight loss story as well as a video about him here.

It was about a year ago that I went to Minnesota for a family reunion. I weighed 133-134 pounds and felt pretty confident. People made the usual “Oh my god, you’ve lost so much weight!” comments, as was expected, but I was still just ordinary Lynn, only a little smaller.

On Sunday I’m going to Minnesota again, only this time I weigh 128 pounds and I’m a bundle of nerves.

What happened? Oprah happened. And People. And the Today Show. And Entertainment Tonight. And CNN. I’m in mid-metamorphosis, still shedding my skin, trying to digest everything that’s happened to me this year and to catch up with it all, and so my confidence level is on par with the mortgage crisis, only the government isn’t going to bail me out.

I’ve never been able to nail confidence down to a permanent feeling. Seems it always runs hot and cold. I’m overly sensitive and highly aware of the feelings of other people, particularly as they pertain to their expectations of me. Sometimes my intuition is off, but I’ve always worked within the framework that when I sense I’m not living up to someone’s expectations, I have to do something to change myself so I stop disappointing them. I manufacture who I am to manipulate as best I can how someone perceives me, how I want them to think of me, to control who they think I am. Very few people know the real me. Hell, I hardly know the real me. But during this year between Minnesota visits, I’ve been trying to figure out the real me and how to be me all the time and not a “fill-in” substitute for who I think people expect me to be.

So how do I do that when I feel like I’m on display? I get really uncomfortable when someone calls me a “celebrity” or brings up my weight loss and subsequent media appearances to other people when I’m in their presence. You can argue, “Well, Lynn, you should have known that would happen when you agreed to do all that media,” but the thing is, I didn’t know. How could I? I’d never been on television before. I’d never been in a national magazine before. I was excited to talk about weight loss because I wanted to motivate others to think about their own bodies and minds, to treat themselves with kindness and to lose weight for the right reasons and in the right way. I never thought about it being for me or about me. So when it comes to people talking about me and what’s happened this last year, my stomach turns into a knot.

And I’m pretty sure the subject will come up more than a few times on this upcoming trip to Minnesota.

I know it’s only natural to want to ask someone you haven’t seen in a long time what it’s like to meet Oprah or to make at least a comment about their weight loss. I mean, it’s not every day your cousin or aunt or sister or old friend loses nearly 170 pounds. I understand that. Heck, I’d be all over my cousin, aunt, sister or friend if that happened to them, asking them questions and wanting the dirt on Matt Lauer. I admit that. I’m trying to see it from the perspective of people who haven’t seen me in years. But to help me stay real and to salvage my confidence, I’m learning the art of steering conversations away from my weight loss by asking direct questions about the person I’m talking to. I’m always more interested in someone else’s story than my own. I’ve lived with me this year and believe me, I’m kind of dull in real life.

On this trip, I want to be gracious and patient, but I also want to introduce the real me, the woman I’ve come to know the last 12 months and to not manipulate her like a Chinese acrobat into something someone else wants or needs her to be. The girl they remembered from the past is morphing into a unified woman, someone who isn’t comfortable being so many things to so many people anymore. If I disappoint someone because I am who I am, the problem lies squarely in their lap, not mine.

Can I do it? I’ll let you know when I get back. In the meantime, I will try to blog from the road. This blog and you readers have been two of the best things to happen to me this year. I’m not a real huggy kind of person (being a Norwegian (ex)Lutheran Minnesotan and all), but I’m sending this {{{grouphug}}} because I really mean it. Thanks for letting me work all this out with you this morning.

Onto week 2: even after reading what the programme entails I still hear comments every week about a BIG BROTHER parody, of course I do little to deflect these comments; hehe where's the fun in that.

But it is interesting that the phenomenon is so widespread. Yes it is a little weird and in our Vaughan bubble the world outside does not exist and maybe that's the trick!?

This weeks group were more subdued than last weeks, which has its benefits. In the entertainment slots I felt a lot of the sketches didn't hit the mark and I tried yet another new piece which still needs work - but hey where better than here to do it.
However they did get into the more intellectual stuff which was nice, and the Karaoke too!

Illness is starting to spread quite quickly and I found myself to target this week - not only did my energy levels drop dramatically but I also strained my voice (doing a crazy sketch then singing Karaoke) so that didn't help much, luckily after a day I was able to shake it off and felt much better. But I noticed more people are getting ill, so bring medicine folks!

I find it a shame that in general the folks with higher levels dont push themselves to much and speak more Spanish than they need to, but on the other hand I am impressed with the effort the lower levels put in and progress they make.

attached as always are the photos of our week; enjoy ;)

Vaughan Town - Gredos - Program 89

My family, some friends and I were at a restaurant last night. We ordered coffee after dinner. I poured a (very) generous amount of cream into my decaf. One of my friends gave me the nickname "fat boy" because I eat so much fat. The reason it's funny and not insulting is that I have a low bodyfat percentage. Paradox? I don't think so.

My family was also wide-eyed when I had three eggs for breakfast this morning, fried in butter. Sounds decadent, but it only adds up to 300 calories, or roughly 10% of my daily caloric intake.

An anonymous geek asked for help on how to lose weight at home (too shy to go to the gym) and he got over 1,000 replies from fellow geeks on the Slashdot comment boards.

One response was from Binaryboy who told him to try Yourself Fitness;

Yourself Fitness is an Xbox title - not sure if it runs on Xbox 360 - and is like having a personal aerobics and yoga instructor at home. I was little shy of aerobics in general at first, but once I got into it, learned the various moves without looking like an idiot, I was hooked. In the first year I lost 30 pounds (which was my target) and I felt 1000 times better.

See the interesting discussion at How Do Geeks Exercise?

Bacteria and Nanofilters:The Future of Clean Water Technology

Bacteria often get bad press, with those found in water often linked to illness and disease. But researchers at The University of Nottingham are using these tiny organisms alongside the very latest membrane filtration techniques to improve and refine water cleaning technology.

These one-celled organisms eat the contaminants present in water — whether it is being treated prior to industrial use or even for drinking — in a process called bioremediation.

The water is then filtered through porous membranes, which function like a sieve. However, the holes in these sieves are microscopic, and some are so small they can only be seen at the nanoscale. Pore size in these filters can range from ten microns — ten thousandths of a millimetre — to one nanometre — a millionth of a millimetre.

These technologies can be developed into processes which optimise the use of water — whether in an industrial system or to provide drinking water in areas where it is a scarce resource.
The research is led by Nidal Hilal, Professor of Chemical and Process Engineering in the Centre for Clean Water Technologies — a world-leading research centre developing advanced technologies in water treatment.

Current membrane technology used in water treatment processes can decrease in efficiency over time, as the membranes become fouled with contaminants. By using bioremediation the membranes can be cleaned within the closed system, without removing the membranes. Researchers at the centre have developed the technology in partnership with Cardev International, an oil filtration company based in Harrogate.

As well as being highly effective in the water treatment process, transforming industrial liquid waste contaminated with metals and oils into clean water, ultrafiltration and nanofiltration membranes have a useful side effect. The waste products have a very high calorific value, and can be used as fuel.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More on bioremediation from the USGS:

Why bioremediation works

This sounds like a good technology, though I admit I do not know all there is to know about it. As with anything of this nature the carbon footprint of it is something that needs to be considered. However, the fact that this process has the ability to provide clean water to those who would otherwise have to drink contaminated water is one I am certainly interested in, and one that may be viable in places experiencing drought.

On my first full day in San Francisco, I spent the early part of the day playing tourist. A highlight was a visit to City Lights Book Store. When I am away on my own, my kids and my spouse are never very far from my mind and this wonderful and historic book store seemed like as good a place as any to buy them some presents.

And so I did. I bought an armload of stories that I had never seen anywhere else and put them all in canvas bag with the store's name on it. I left the store feeling very pleased with myself.

I schlepped those books from North Beach to Union Square, for the orientation session for BlogHer speakers. But before going out for dinner and on to the various BlogHer welcome receptions, I stowed all my stuff in Babz's room in the hotel, so that I wouldn't have to carry them or risk losing them. Again, I felt very pleased with myself.

I had a lovely evening. I don't handle crowds of new people very well but there is something to be said for hitching yourself to an extrovert and just enjoying the experiences. And so I basked in Babz's glow and met some wonderful people at the Speakers' reception. I even won the door prize, a Nintendo DS.

As that party wound down, we headed up to the Newbie party for BlogHer first-timers. I demurred, as I was not a newbie but someone convinced me that I could play a role in welcoming the newbies. It sounded good to me, and besides it was in a rooftop bar with a beautiful view. I had expected to make the evening a short one, as I was jet-lagged and feeling the three hour time difference. I also had to commute out to friends' place where I was staying in Oakland. But it wasn't until we arrived at our third party of the evening (in yet another part of the hotel) that I realized that I had hit a wall (and that the room was just too packed for me). I left that party as quickly as I had entered it and headed back up to Babz's room to get my stuff.

Babz walked me down to the taxi stand (it was too late for me to feel safe walking home from the BART in Oakland) and saw me get off safely.

It was at that point that I realized that I was more than a little drunk. As I had been busy socializing all evening, the bar had been open and my glass was always full. And somehow it hadn't occurred to me to get someone to fill my glass with water.

I managed to slur out the address in Oakland to my cab driver, a young man who was really very nice. When I couldn't tell him how to get to my destination, he first called a friend and then used his Blackberry to call up a map. He had to use it again when I couldn't tell him where to exit off the freeway (something I could not have done even if I were sober. I am a terrible navigator).

While he drove, we chatted a little bit. I told him about the conference. He told me that he didn't usually like to drive to Oakland but that he was doing it for me because I "seem like a nice person."

"I am a nice person," I enthusiastically replied.

We were both relieved and happy when he dropped me off in front of my friends' building and we wished each other well.

In the middle of the night (skipping over the part where I locked myself out and had to wake my hosts who I had only met the day before so that they could let me in), I woke with a start and registered the fact that I no longer had the City Lights bag.

I tip-toed down the hall and back out to the street to see if I had left the bag on the front stoop (where I had sat while I had been trying to sober up), to no avail. Nor did Babz find the bag in her room. My receipt didn't have the name of the taxi company (and I couldn't remember). I checked twice with hotel security (in case it had been found and dropped off there) and with the lost and found table for BlogHer. By Saturday, I had given up and was trying to decide if I should return to City Lights and attempt to replace the presents I'd bought.

Then, on Saturday, as I was being miked for the session at which I was speaking, I heard my name being called. "I was your taxi driver," he said. And on his arm was a bag full of books.

"How did you find me?"

He made typing motions with his fingers. "Your name was on your credit card slip."

I was euphoric.

I asked him if I could hug him.

I offered him money (he refused).

Babz took his picture (which I won't post here because it doesn't do him justice).

And everyone made a big fuss.

"I was in the neighbourhood," he said, modestly.

But I know that he went to great lengths to track me down. He googled my name to find my blog. My last post had said that I was going to the BlogHer conference. I had linked to the BlogHer agenda, so he must have read it to find my name and the title of my session (I had told him that I was speaking). He then came to the hotel, checked the directory and followed the labyrinthine corridors to find me.

I am so touched by what he did. I wish that there had been something I could have done (I could have insisted on giving him money but I felt like it would embarrass him). His name is Eduardo and he is a lovely man.

The next time I have the chance to something nice for a stranger, I will think of Eduardo. I encourage all of you to do the same. If you do, please let me know in the comments (or if something like this has ever happened to you, please share that as well).

And yes, I really did behave myself for the rest of the conference.

I'm such a worrier. The EPA teleconference went fine. Just a few minor changes to the proposal overall—a little more detail here and there. I don't know why I always feel like something terrible is going to happen. I guess maybe if I prepare myself for the worst, I won't feel so bad when and if it does happen.

I really do have an amazing story to share with all of you and I meant to post it before now. Parenting, however, has proven an impediment. I will tell you my terrific story (how is that for a build up?) tomorrow but for today, here are some thoughts on the BlogHer conference:

When I meet someone new, I don’t usually introduce myself by saying, “I’m Laurie and I have cancer.”

In fact, there are many people I know only casually who have no idea that I have ever been through cancer treatment, let alone that I live with metastasis. People tell me all the time how healthy I look and I take pride (somewhat irrationally, I admit) in the fact that I don’t look like a typical “cancer patient.”

Entire days often go by when the word “cancer” does not cross my lips (I would like to say that there are days when it does not cross my mind but that would be a lie). I write about living with cancer but cancer is not my life. And I like it that way.

This year, for the second time, I attended BlogHer, a conference for women bloggers (last year it was in Chicago and this year in San Francisco). The conference sold out this year and there were more than 1,000 women in attendance. For someone who spends a lot of time by myself by choice, this is both an exciting and scary concept.

Meeting that many new people at the same time is always overwhelming. However, this is compounded for me because, at BlogHer, when I introduce myself, I have to lead with the fact that I have cancer.

“I’m Laurie and I blog at Not Just About Cancer. And Mothers With Cancer. And MyBreastCancerNetwork.Com.”

You get the idea.

You can read the rest of this post at MyBreastCancerNetwork.Com.

Clara was able to end a humiliating cycle of bingeing and starving herself when she started meditating on a regular basis. See her story here.

"If you have an opportunity to use your voice you should use it. " ~ Samuel L. Jackson

It feels oddly strange, almost ghostlike, to enter a room full of people I know but who don’t immediately recognize me. I forget sometimes that I’ve lost a lot of weight and that folks who haven’t seen me since 2005 probably don’t know I’ve shed almost 170 pounds.

I went to a funeral home today to pay my respects to a dear old friend who passed away last Friday. I used to live in a very small town not far from where I live now, back several years ago when I owned an antique store. I knew Bill, the man who died, and his family through my association with the store.

I hadn’t seen Bill’s son Craig or his granddaughter Amy and her boyfriend Clark since I left. Today in the reception line, Clark was standing next to Amy, who was talking to the lady in front of me. Clark extended his hand, smiled, and said, “Hi, I’m Clark.” I said, “Hi, I’m Lynn,” and I smiled and looked directly into his eyes, hoping he’d see something familiar. He looked back with some question in his eyes, then he got a big grin on his face and he said, “Girl, you gotta get some meat on your bones!” I laughed and said, “Um, no. I just got done getting all the meat off!”

The woman ahead of me moved on and Clark said to Amy, “Do you know who this is?” Amy said, with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes, “Of course I do. It’s Lynn.” We hugged for what felt like forever. She loved her grandpa so much and she was so very sad. I realized at that moment how much I’d missed her. I was foolish to not try and contact her once I moved away and sold my store. I was so sad when I left there years ago that I tried to leave it all behind. Bill’s death united me to that place again, to where I learned so much about myself and met some really kind and caring people. Like Amy.

I’m going to start crying just writing this. Amy recognized me. She’d know me anywhere. And that made me so happy. Yes, I’ve lost a lot of weight, but my eyes never changed, my smile never changed. I’m still the same person inside. And best of all, I’m still her friend. I gave her my email address and I know she’ll write once the dust settles on her grandpa’s affairs.

When I got down the line to Craig, he offered his hand to me, too, and looked at me quizzically. “Hi, Craig. It’s me. Lynn. From the store.” He blinked a few times and said, “Well look at you,” and gave me a hug. We talked a little about how Bill died and I told him how much Bill meant to me. I talked to Craig’s wife for a few minutes and then it was time for me to go.

This day of grief was also a day of liberation. My weight wasn’t the only thing I lost when I left my store and that small town. I lost touch with people I cared about and who cared about me. I know that now. And I thank Bill for that gift. Rest in peace, my dear old friend.

Himalayan Glaciers Shrinking Every Year

Glaciers in the Himalayas are retreating at an alarming rate of 15-20 metre every year, says the study jointly done by Himachal Pradesh Science and Technology Council and Space Research Station, Ahmedabad.

With rising global temperature, glaciers in Himalayas are retreating at an alarming rate of 15-20 metre every year, which could adversly impact agriculture in the region.

Mapping of 400 glaciers done jointly by the Himachal Pradesh Science and Technology Council and Space Research Station Ahmedabad since 1994 on rivers Chandra, Beas, Ravi, Satluj, Spiti and Baspa has shown that the glaciers are retreating.

"There had been a retreat of 10-15 m per year in 400 glaciers," A B Kulkarni, head of Glaciology wing of Space Research Station, Ahmedabad, said.

A Report of Geological Survey of India (GSI) says that prominent glaciers like Chota Sigri in Lahaul-Spiti district showed a retreat of 6.81 m per year, Bara Sigri 29.78 m per year, Trilokinath 17.86 m per year, Beas kund 18.8 m per year and Manimahesh 29.1 metre per year.

The mapping of glaciers through satellite picture suggests that there are in total 334 glaciers in the entire Satluj and Beas basins covering an area of 1515 sq km. Out of this 202 glaciers fall in Himachal Pradesh.

Syed Iqbal Hussnain of TERI, who is studying retreat of glaciers in Himalayas, said the situation is serious.

Hussnain, who is a member of National Action plan on climatology, suggested Himachal Pradesh government to set up a glacier commission on the pattern of one existing in Sikkim to carry field-based scientific study of glacier retreat and draw future plans to tackle the problem. Hussnain, who heads Glacier Commission of Sikkim which was set up in January this year, said the commission is making a scientific study of actual retreat and also regularly monitoring water discharge in the rivers to assess speed of retreat.

A comprehensive report will be submitted to the Sikkim government in December this year for drawing future plans, he added.

He stressed on similar field based study in Himachal Pradesh to collect true statistics which would help in drawing plans accordingly.

The temperature of Shimla has risen by one degree Celsius in last 100 years reflecting impact of global warming in the hill state, Met office sources said.

HP government is pressing the Centre to set up an institute at Lahual for study and research on glaciers in the state.

end of excerpt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am very saddened when reading these reports because it appears that glacier melt has reached a tipping point. I am also angry because in the US people are still bickering over whether climate change exists and what is causing it while millions of people around the world suffer the effects of it. Just what is wrong with Americans on the whole? I am one too, but at this point I am embarrassed at the way many people in the US continue their petty politically partisan bickering about this as people suffer. Is this truly a result of the atmosphere that exists regarding the undemocratic media coverage we get in this country? Or are people basically on the whole just selfish to the point that they don't care what happens to anyone else in the world as long as it isn't them? Do they simply not understand that what we do to planet Earth and to others we do to ourselves?

I have been wracking my brain trying to understand how after all of the evidence presented why people still feel it necessary to be in the 'debate' stage when we should be in the 'planning and action' stages. Just what has to happen to bring us to that point in the US and around the world? A true catastrophe?

Well, here's one for you: Billions of people depend on the water provided by the Himalayas and without it there will be no water for those people. No water, no food. No food, people will move and forage for it and that means millions to hundreds of millions of climate refugees looking to other lands for the food and water they need to survive. How many other countries in this world would be willing to take in hundreds of millions of climate refugees, or for that matter, physically be able to do it?

This is where the 'planning and action' stages usually come in handy. However, as we have seen from the G-8 summit to the current one in Rome, governments of this world are still twiddling their thumbs on this. It is as if they wish to get to that point of no return to have an excuse to institute the 'One World Order' they wish to have. Now, that may sound a little 'conspiracy theory' to some. However, consider the current 'global food crisis' we keep hearing the World Bank go on about suddenly all in line with pushing genetically modified foods on us. Up to this point, Europe and most of the world besides the US, Germany, Brazil, and Argentina have spurned this unneccessary technology in favor of natural foods as it should be, which of course does not leave them beholding to multinationals like Monsanto, ADM, Cargill, and other companies looking to monopolize the food and seed markets of the world (along with water.)

Therefore, heightening the fear of a worse food crisis along with higher prices is only serving to make countries think twice now about a technology they up to this point were against for a very valid reason: the science proving it is safe is simply not in.

The same kind of panic is being fanned regarding the 'global water crisis.' Now, mind you, I do believe we are in a crisis stage regarding water in many countries in Africa right now and aproaching it elsewhere, but we still have time to work on having water declared a human right and to bring effective conservation methods to these countries along with the infrastructure necessary to conserve enough water to live, along with more efficient irrigation practices. However, Dow Chemical is pushing it now because they want to buy up desalination plants to make money, and I have no doubt that will be pushed more and more over the next few years as this crisis gets progressively worse if we do not act accordingly. So, it isn't hard to understand why governments are not really dealing with this crisis regarding our climate with any real urgency and basically dragging their feet. They serve to make much money from it.

Look already at the countries flocking to the Arctic to claim the oil reserves and other minerals under it. Is there any real urgency on their part to slow down the melting in the first place by calling for more stringent limits on greenhouse gases in order to preserve our fragile climate balance? No. It all comes to this: greed has taken over the core of humanity and it will be our downfall if we do not see the true moral importance of what is now being reaped from what we have sown.

In the case of the Himalayas, the Arctic, Antarctica, and glaciers around the world... these are our harbingers... our missives of the future telling us that we have gone astray and the only way to save ourselves is to see the damage we are doing to this planet and have the moral courage to correct it provided we do it now before it is truly too late. In the case of the Himalayas, that may already be true and it is a sad reflection on the human species. That is simply not the legacy we must leave to future generations.

The Inuit (also called Eskimo) are a group of hunter-gatherer cultures who inhabit the arctic regions of Alaska, Canada and Greenland. They are a true testament to the toughness, adaptability and ingenuity of the human species. Their unique lifestyle has a lot of information to offer us about the boundaries of the human ecological niche. Weston Price was fascinated by their excellent teeth, good nature and overall robust health. Here's an excerpt from Nutrition and Physical Degeneration:

"In his primitive state he has provided an example of physical excellence and dental perfection such as has seldom been excelled by any race in the past or present...we are also deeply concerned to know the formula of his nutrition in order that we may learn from it the secrets that will not only aid in the unfortunate modern or so-called civilized races, but will also, if possible, provide means for assisting in their preservation."

These people [the Inuit] are robust, muscular and active, inclining rather to spareness [leanness] than corpulence [overweight], presenting a markedly healthy appearance. The expression of the countenance is one of habitual good humor. The physical constitution of both sexes is strong. Extreme longevity is probably not unknown among them; but as they take no heed to number the years as they pass they can form no guess of their own ages.

"They are large eaters, some of them, especially the women, eating all the time..." ...during the winter the Barrow women stirred around very little, did little heavy work, and yet "inclined more to be sparse than corpulent" [quotes are the anthropologist Dr. John Murdoch, reproduced by Stefansson].

The women appear to stand on a footing of perfect equality with the men, both in the family and the community. The wife is the constant and trusted companion of the man in everything except the hunt, and her opinion is sought in every bargain or other important undertaking... The affection of parents for their children is extreme, and the children seem to be thoroughly worthy of it. They show hardly a trace of fretfulness or petulance so common among civilized children, and though indulged to an extreme extent are remarkably obedient. Corporal punishment appears to be absolutely unknown, and children are rarely chided or punished in any way.

In the various groups in the lower Kuskokwim seventy-two individuals who were living exclusively on native foods had in their 2,138 teeth only two teeth or 0.09 per cent that had ever been attacked by tooth decay. In this district eighty-one individuals were studied who had been living in part or in considerable part on modern foods, and of their 2, 254 teeth 394 or 13 per cent had been attacked by dental caries. This represents an increase in dental caries of 144 fold.... When these adult Eskimos exchange their foods for our modern foods..., they often have very extensive tooth decay and suffer severely.... Their plight often becomes tragic since there are no dentists in these districts.

I can’t remember if I told you guys or not about my possible issues with the sweetener sorbitol. I write so much stuff sometimes I forget where I said what to whom. Anyway, as I mentioned in last week’s “Measure, Measure, Measure!” entry, my weight had crept back into the 130s and I wasn’t happy about that and so I reevaluated my food portions. Low and behold, by being more mindful of portions, I am now 126.9 as of this morning.

However, it wasn’t just portion control that did the trick. I also stopped chewing so dang much gum.

If I gain any weight, I gain it in my stomach. A few weeks ago I looked four months pregnant because I was so bloated (I know, TMI, but I promise it won’t get any worse than that). I was puzzled because it’s not like I’d introduced any new foods to my diet. I mentioned it to my daughter who said she heard that chewing gum causes us to swallow a lot of air and so maybe that was the problem. It was true that in the last few weeks leading up to this weight gain I’d developed a pack-a-day habit. I did an Internet search for boating and gum and found a ton of information not only about the affects of chewing gum, but specifically chewing sugar-free gum with the sweetener sorbitol, the first ingredient in most sugar-free gum.

Sorbitol isn’t absorbed by the small intestine and so it floats about in your gut for days until you get rid of it. ‘Chewing upwards of 10 sorbitol-laden sticks a day could certainly be my problem,’ I thought, and so I quit, cold turkey. OK, so maybe I still have a stick a day, but that’s ten times less sorbitol than I was consuming before. It obviously made the difference. My stomach is flat again (well, you know, underneath that belly flap ‘o skin) and I feel 100 million times better in that region.

(Click here for a great article on the side effects of Splenda and sweeteners like saccharin and sorbitol. It also gives the thumbs up to my favorite sweetener, stevia, which would make a really nice girls name, don’t you think?)

In other news, my stepsons arrive tomorrow. They are 16 and 15 and eat at LEAST five times as much food as I do in a day. Can you hear my checkbook groaning? Feeding Andy, the oldest, is easy because he eats anything I cook. Kevin, however, separates peas and peppers out of casserole, picks parsley flakes out of spaghetti sauce, finds every onion in a bowl of soup. He’s a nightmare to cook for. But cook for them I do because, with the exception of Campbell’s Chunky Soup and generic Cheerios, prepackaged food is too expensive and too full of fat and empty calories and they don’t need it. They get enough of that at home and in school. My house is a crappy-food-free zone.

I make them eat *gasp* ONE fruit a day, which believe me was like pulling teeth when I first implemented that rule. And, wicked stepmother that I am, they have to choose which vegetable to eat with dinner and no, canned corn every night is not an option, much to Kevin’s chagrin. They drink juice, not soda, when they’re here, and nothing is ever fried, soaked in butter, or covered in salt. Ketchup, however, is allowed.

So I’m off to plan the week’s meals. This usually takes upwards of an hour. It's not too hard to do. After all, they like meatloaf (made with ground turkey breast), homemade pizza (made with Flat-Outs), meatless chili (don’t tell Kevin there’s zucchini and mushrooms and onions in there – I hide them well – and I sometimes sneak Boca ground soy in there and they think it's beef, so don’t go telling on me, ok?), rigatoni (made with whole wheat pasta and fat-free mozzarella), grilled chicken breasts and much to my surprise, salmon. I will get these guys fed right. It’s just tricky sometimes. I'll make my grocery list and hit the stores early tomorrow morning. I’m determined to keep the total under $150.

By the way, I chew gum when I’m stressed, and if ever I needed gum, it will be next week. I love my guys, but man, it’s not easy having two extra people in our small house. I guess instead of gum I’ll just drink more wine. Kidding! I plan to stay around 127 pounds and too much wine will, well, you know what too much wine will do.

I met Grover! Sesame Street had a suite at the hotel that was hosting the BlogHer conference. They were promoting their new web site, which my son loves. The real Grover and the real Abby (she came after my Sesame Street time but she's really nice) were present and anyone who signed up could take home a DVD of herself on Sesame Street!

The atmosphere in the room was absolutely giddy. And I lost count of the number of moms who laughed as they insisted, "I'm telling them that I'm doing this for my kids."

Which is exactly why I did it. I swear.

I have to say that I am struck by this photo. Can you tell how happy I was right at that moment? Seriously, meeting Grover turned me into a giggling groupie.

I need to tell you all about two other amazing folks I met when I was in San Francisco. And neither had anything to do with blogging or the conference.

I arrived in SF on Wednesday evening. I didn't have my first meeting (an orientation for BlogHer speakers) until 3pm on Thursday, so I spent the earlier part of that day playing tourist.

On my walk back from North Beach to the hotel, my eye was caught by a store with some funky looking clothes and purses in the window. I am really not much of a shopper but there was something about this place that just spoke to me. Inside, I met Megan the designer, who was working away at her table as I browsed.

I tried on a gorgeous jacket (which looked great on me. The online photo doesn't do it justice. And the in store price was cheaper, too) and decided to justify it as a birthday present to myself (August 4th is not that far away...).

Martha and I chatted away as I browsed. Now, I have no idea how this came up but at some point she mentioned menopause. I told her that I had gone through menopause at 38, due to chemotherapy (not the kind of thing I generally tell a complete stranger).

Then Martha told me that she has had Stage 4 thyroid cancer that she has been living and working with for many years (I not absolutely certain about the thyroid or the number of years. I was just so stunned by this revelation).

I told her that I am Stage 4, too.

We hugged. And we looked at each other, a little in awe.

You wouldn't guess that either of us had cancer. We both look pretty damn healthy. Better than healthy.

I floated out of the store, so buoyed was I from this encounter.

And I will always think of Martha, hope and inspiration when I wear my beautiful jacket.

I'll tell you about another amazing encounter tomorrow.

Thank God it's Friday. I did 30 minutes on an elliptical, 30 minutes on a treadmill, and 15 minutes on an exercise bike (I wanted to do 20 minutes on the bike but got sidetracked in a conversation with a fellow gym goer). So I burned about 700 calories this morning, according to what the equipment said anyway. I'm ready for a rest this weekend. By the time Friday gets here, I'm usually worn out.

I had a wonderful time at BlogHer '08.

I had chemo the day after my return, though and am still recovering. Some longer posts are owed to you all very soon.

Meanwhile, here is a pic of me, BlogHer co-founder Lisa Stone and wonderful Babz (Babz and I, who had never met in person, took to each other like two old friends).


I had to snag this photo from Babz, since I took exactly one photo all week end. It's of me and an international celebrity and I will post that tomorrow.

As the obese population increases, more overweight women are consulting plastic surgeons for breast reductions. In previous studies, this group of patients had been thought to have higher complication rates. The authors of this study, however, found it to be as safe to perform large-volume breast reductions in morbidly obese women as slimmer patients. (Study title: Breast Reduction: Safe in the Morbidly Obese?)

Post-Bariatric Patients' Nutritional Deficiency: Concerns for Plastic Surgery
With the increasing popularity of bariatric operations, there has been a subsequent increase in body contouring following weight loss. This study highlights an important detail plastic surgeons need to assess in these potential patients: their nutritional health or lack of it. This study reports on the widespread evidence of nutritional deficiency in these patients that can lead to problems with wound healing and immune response optimization. The authors detail the various nutritional deficiencies commonly found in post-bariatric patients, noting that plastic surgeons may want to recommend optimal nutrition through supplements. (Study title: Nutritional Deficiency of Post-Bariatric Surgery Body Contouring Patients: What Every Plastic Surgeon Should Know)

Lasik Dry-Eye Needs Unique Approach to Cosmetic Eyelid Surgery
Patients looking to rejuvenate aging eyelids, but have dry-eye syndrome following Lasik surgery, present unique difficulties. Authors in this study describe how to identify and alter the surgical technique (such as staging the operations for upper and lower lids) for this unique group of eyelid surgery patients. (Study title: Optimizing Blepharoplasty Outcomes in Patients with Previous Laser Vision Correction)

Source: Medical News Today

The start of three continuous weeks so a lot of hard work coming my way.
Sounds funny because in England I would work for weeks without a break but now two weeks and I want a break, hehe.

Anyhoo, the week has been a lot of fun, I wrote a few new sketches which were OK, adapted a Tommy Cooper sketch; a little more needed on that one I think.
I also did a painting which turned out very well considering how I did it ;)
although it did take me longer than I expected.

The summer is really hot and nights are getting longer not only because the sun but the participants are not wanting to go to bed - what do you do!?!
This of course causes extra problems at night with parties in rooms and no energy next morning; and for some reason people really do think rules are made to be broken!?

Whilst we are here Lucy the new MC is with the Young Adults program, having done last year I don't envy her at all, but I'm sure she will do just fine.

As for the dreaded party night, well as the village was having it's fiesta this week we thought it a good idea to join them, only the people then decided not to; which was a shame because it would have been very good to experience (I think the walk back put them off), so the party happened in the hotel; without all the trimmings, which I think helps make it but hey!

The new hotel staff have a few issues to work out I think, but all in all the hotel was much better this week than it has been in a LONG time.

Good luck to the MASTERS for the future!! (you know where I am ;) )

Click below for the photos

Vaughan Town - Gredos - Program 88

Aerobics this morning was hard. Toward the end of the week, I'm tired and it takes all I have to make through class. But I did it. Tomorrow is Friday and then I get a break for a couple of days.

The much buzzed-about Black In America series premiered on CNN last night. The day-one of the series told the story of the "Black Woman & Family" and covered everything from education to dating "something new" outside of your race. The poignant, but vested Soledad O'Brien guides the story by weaving in a and out of the woes and triumphs of the Rand Family, and other related characters. At times, watching part-one of the series gave me a great sense of pride, re-affirmed the hardships, but most importantly, reminded me of the "community" and the responsibility we have to one another. To say this series is well-timed is an understatement. Catch/tivo part two about the "Black Man" airing tonight on CNN at 9PM ET.

• The Smith family (of the Rand Clan) raise 6 college educated scholar-athletes who all have something to prove to exceed their role-model parents
  
• 10 year old Eric Kennedy Jr.'s goal score perfect grades o help his single father pay the bills
• "Marry Your Baby Daddy Day"
• The relentless mission of Harvard Professor Ron Fryer to tackle black issues
  

Facing The Freshwater Crisis
By Peter Rogers


Key points:

Global freshwater resources are threatened by rising demands from many quarters.

Growing populations need ever more water for drinking, hygiene, sanitation, food production and industry.

Climate change, meanwhile, is expected to contribute to droughts.

Policymakers need to figure out how to supply water without degrading the natural ecosystems that provide it.

Existing low-tech approaches can help prevent scarcity, as can ways to boost supplies, such as improved methods to desalinate water.
But governments at all levels need to start setting policies and making investments in infrastructure for water conservation now.

A friend of mine lives in a middle-class neighborhood of New Delhi, one of the richest cities in India. Although the area gets a fair amount of rain every year, he wakes in the morning to the blare of a megaphone announcing that freshwater will be available only for the next hour. He rushes to fill the bathtub and other receptacles to last the day. New Delhi’s endemic shortfalls occur largely because water managers decided some years back to divert large amounts from upstream rivers and reservoirs to irrigate crops.

My son, who lives in arid Phoenix, arises to the low, schussing sounds of sprinklers watering verdant suburban lawns and golf courses. Although Phoenix sits amid the Sonoran Desert, he enjoys a virtually unlimited water supply. Politicians there have allowed irrigation water to be shifted away from farming operations to cities and suburbs, while permitting recycled wastewater to be employed for landscaping and other nonpotable applications.

As in New Delhi and Phoenix, policymakers worldwide wield great power over how water resources are managed. Wise use of such power will become increasingly important as the years go by because the world’s demand for freshwater is currently overtaking its ready supply in many places, and this situation shows no sign of abating. That the problem is well-known makes it no less disturbing: today one out of six people, more than a billion, suffer inadequate access to safe freshwater. By 2025, according to data released by the United Nations, the freshwater resources of more than half the countries across the globe will undergo either stress—for example, when people increasingly demand more water than is available or safe for use—or outright shortages. By midcentury as much as three quarters of the earth’s population could face scarcities of freshwater.

Scientists expect water scarcity to become more common in large part because the world’s population is rising and many people are getting richer (thus expanding demand) and because global climate change is exacerbating aridity and reducing supply in many regions. What is more, many water sources are threatened by faulty waste disposal, releases of industrial pollutants, fertilizer runoff and coastal influxes of saltwater into aquifers as groundwater is depleted. Because lack of access to water can lead to starvation, disease, political instability and even armed conflict, failure to take action can have broad and grave consequences.

end of excerpt.

~~~~
As with the climate crisis, we are seeing denial on the part of some people to believe that we are approaching a global water crisis. Some contend that we merely "move" water and therefore there is nothing to be concerned about. However, those who state that are those who live where water is abundant. Tell that to the farmers and fishermen in Kenya and in other countries in Africa where the land becomes more arid as the amount of water to be "moved" lessens due to their water sources continuing to evaporate through lack of infrastructure, wasteful irrigation, and climate change which is perpetuating severe droughts in Ethiopia, Niger, and many parts of the continent which is also contributing to the food crisis they also face.

There is no more time left to argue this point: Freshwater resources in our world are dwindling, and with population on the rise (which is the 400 lb gorilla in the room no one seems to want to recognize) water will be a resource that people have and will fight for and will increasingly be surrendering to multinationals to control it as they seek to control our food and other resources if we do not push governments and other agencies to:

1: Work to put more funds into fixing aging infrastructure that wastes water and funds to bring infrastructure to those places that need it.

2: Sign a global climate change treaty to limit CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change which contributes to droughts, floods, and glacier melt. That should also include more imput from poorer peoples of the world actually experiencing the effects of this crisis, and less control by the World Bank, IMF, and other "new world order" entitities only looking to profit from their tragedy.

3: Educate farmers on proper conservation/irrigation practices in line with the water resources available to them. Drip irrigation as mentioned in this article is the one method I support especially in Africa. Solar water pumps also go a long way in providing water for communities without other infrastructure in a way that is not carbon intensive.

4. Limit building of dams that threaten indigenous peoples and customs as well as diverting water from areas that need it most which also puts marinelife at risk.

5: Only using desalination in extreme circumstances after all other conservation methods have been exhausted. (Just as a point of reference, DOW Chemical is looking to also buy desalination plants so watch for this to be pitched even if it isn't needed, just like "clean coal.") It is simply too carbon intensive and expensive at this time to consider on a wide scale other than in areas that are experiencing severe drought conditions.

6: Have political and moral will to achieve success in conserving this most important resource of life. Water will be one of the defining issues of this century. It should be treated as the important issue it is and people will need to see the part we all play in conserving it.

7: Perhaps the most important step of all: With oil, food, and other resources being controlled by corporations seeking only to profit without truly caring about the consequences, water must be declared a human right so as to keep it a public trust which in turn keeps it available to all people equitably. And we must demand it.

We as a species are at a crossroads in history. How we act now determines the world for generations to come. If we continue to waste water at the pace we are now worldwide we will lead this world into a future of increased tensions, disease, and famine. The first step for many then is connecting the dots and seeing just how important water is to us in our everyday lives. We can live without oil. We cannot live without water.

Test your knowledge of freshwater

So many take water for granted in their everyday activities. Take this test to find out how much you know about freshwater usage.

A few months ago, we announced a new web authoring tool called Knol.

Well, today we've announced its public launch, and we wanted to tell you a little bit more about it and how you might use it to complement your blog. Blogs are great for quickly and easily getting your latest writing out to your readers, while knols are better for when you want to write an authoritative article on a single topic. The tone is more formal, and, while it's easy to update the content and keep it fresh, knols aren't designed for continuously posting new content or threading. Know how to fix a leaky toilet, but don't want to write a blog about fixing up your house? In that case, Knol is for you.

Except for the different format, you'll get all the things you've come to expect from Blogger in Knol. Like Blogger, Knol has simple web authoring tools that make it easy to collaborate, co-author, and publish. It has community features as well: Your readers will be able to add comments and rate your article, and, if you want, they'll be able to suggest edits that you can then either accept or reject. And, just like in Blogger, you can also choose to include ads from AdSense in your knols to perhaps make a little money.

One other important difference between Knol and Blogger is that Knol encourages you to reveal your true identity. Knols are meant to be authoritative articles, and, therefore, they have a strong focus on authors and their credentials. We feel that this focus will help ensure that authors get credit for their work, make the content more credible.

All in all, we think Knol will be a great new way for you to share what you know, inform people about an issue that is important to you, raise your profile as an expert in your field, and maybe even make some money from ads. Create your Knol right now for free.