Life is Healthy

But I think I look very cute in my new pink cowboy hat (I am told that it's the same one that Julia Roberts wore in Runaway Bride - except hers wasn't pink). It's also really, really comfortable and it makes me happy. So there.

Thanks to Debbie from Journey Bags for taking the photo and emailing it to me. She asked me to let you all know that if you use Promotional Code 1208 when ordering from her site, you can get 10% off.

I think my hat is very Texas. And cheaper than new cowboy boots. And since I passed on the opportunity to go to a real cowboy bar and ride the mechanical bull, I thought I should bring home a little bit of the Lonestar State.

Not much I can say just now, simply that I'm working hard to put together a project; that may change the world as we know it (now you're interested)!

Anyway that's all I will say for now - but do keep checking back as I will post updates and maybe even previews as it progresses.

SIDENOTE:
Got a message from China's mom, it seems Easter is off the cards I'm being told now November; carrot and stick anyone!??!

I decided when I was on my walk around the hotel grounds this morning that the complaining I did earlier made me sound very spoiled. The truth is that this venue seems pretty ideal for a conference and I am extremely lucky to be here (and I mean that in so many ways). It would be great if it didn't cost $3.25US for a coffee but it is what it is. And I am assuming there will be free coffee once the conference starts in earnest.

Yesterday was a very long travel day. I miscalculated and finished my book way too early in the trip. As a result, my notebook is filled with random observations I made as I sought to fill the time:

I always feel nervous and guilty when I go through security, immigration or customs. I feel like I am going to be "caught." This is ridiculous since I never lie in these situations or smuggle.

There are signs up at US Immigration stating that all travellers will have their hands scanned and photos taken. I only saw this happen to one person. He was an older white guy so not sure if this was random or some new kind of profiling I've never heard about.

You wouldn't know that the North American economy is in crisis, judging by the number of people who are travelling. Both my flights were full, with long standby lists.

My flight out of Chicago was delayed because the plane was struck by lightning. Folks were very upset but I kind of felt that I would rather have a safe plane than one that left on time.

I have never had a sandwich in an airport that didn't taste like cardboard.

One woman seemed to think that the airport was a great place to find a boy friend. In the waiting area in Chicago, I overheard the following conversation:

40ish Blonde Woman (flirtatiously): "Watcha readin?"

Attractive 50 something man: Mumbled title.

Woman: "Is it a Christian book?"

Man: "I suppose it is."

Woman: "That's what I had heard about it."

Man: Silence.

Woman: "You seem really interested. You just keep writing things down."

Man: "Just noting some things."

Pause.

Woman: "Do you live in Dallas?"

Man: Silence.

Woman: Launches into detailed explanation of where she lives. Mortified I get up and leave.

Some time later, after we change gates, I see them again. She is calling out to him, "Don't go away! I'm a catch!"

A few minutes later, she has moved on to another man. From across the waiting room I can hear her talking about going to church.

So - was she prosletyzing or cruising? Or both?

When I am desperate enough, I will read anything. Apparently this includes the in-flight magazine (this month's issue features the NBA) and something called Skymall. I found myself coveting this and this and thinking this was kind of gross. And then I felt guilty that I don't have anything like this to protect my neighbours from my unsightly air conditioner (but what would protect them from all the unsightly dog poo in my yard?). I could go on and on. And the prose in the catalogue was fantastic.

I was too shy to talk to two women I saw at the Chicago end of my flight who I guessed were going to the conference. I redeemed myself by greeting them as we waited for our bags in Dallas. They told me that they have been coming to this conference for six years. They promised me that I was going to have a wonderful time. They also told me that they are expecting 1,000 participants this year. Wow.

The "Networking Opportunity" I mentioned in a previous post is happening now. Time to take a deep breath, gather up my leis and head on down.

I'm green and orange. As with previous events of this nature, I like to identify others who know what it's like to live with mets. I am also acutely conscious that wearing the orange may be every participant's worse nightmare.

There is no more of an insidious killer than drought because of its subtlety and silence. It creeps across the land and air sucking out its moisture and leaving nothing but devastation and hunger in its wake. It robs humans and other species of the sustenance they must have to survive, and it seeks to cast a dark shadow in the background of the raging fires it precipitates. It takes great pleasure in the misery it creates and shows no remorse for the lives it takes.

Too dramatic you think? I think not. Drought has been and continues to be a persistant and severe threat upon the Earth. Only now, it is excelerating and becoming even more of a persistant and severe threat due to our own intervention. Can you imagine that? We by our own hand are exacerbating the very condition that is leading to our own demise due to our own selfish oblivious actions or lack of action regarding it.

And as we see with many parts of the world including Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Australia, and now even the U.S., the balance between conservation and waste of this life giving resource is dangerously out of balance. The balance between a stable climate that supports life and an erratic climate that destroys life is also dangerously out of balance in concert with actions surrounding water resources. And its remedy now rests with human choices. So what can be done?

Besides an entire shift in consciousness and in how we see water, political will is one important way water policy is fixed from local to the federal level. However, as with consciousness surrounding the climate crisis people must be aware that there is a problem and that it effects their lives. Once that message is clear people seek to move beyond the confortable boundaries they live in to exact change. For many, severe drought in Kenya, China, or Gaza does not phase them as to them it is a world away. However, when we realize how the hydrologic cycle plays into all of our lives and how it is affected by pollution, waste, mismanagement, privitization, and now climate change, those areas of the world do not look so far away anymore.

And this is where we are at now. Looking across the great expanse of our world and seeing the effects of drought and how close to home it is to us and that its effects are not indigenous to just one part of the world. That is the first step towards action.

We need not live in a world without water, but that will mean living in a world without apathy and fear of facing problems head on to solve them. It will not be easy to do now as we already see the relentless shadow of drought moving across the landscape, but it is something we must do in order to save our most precious resource in order to save ourselves.

This article and interview with Peter Gleick gives us good insight into drought, the global water crisis, and the solutions that lie before us now.

How we can avoid a world without water

I am in Dallas (or somewhere on the edge of Dallas with only highway and hotels as far as the eye can see. The hotel claims to have seven acres of "park" with walking trails that I have yet to find or check out. Given that the restaurant with the "open air ambiance" is actually in a roped off area of an indoor courtyard and the spa and gym are in a separate building and charge a membership fee, I am prepared to be disappointed). This hotel is huge.

Please note the little friend that I found when I opened my suitcase. He's half of a pair of "sweater monsters" that were given to me by a dear friend. I think D. decided that I might be lonely on my trip. How thoughtful was that?

I am off to find coffee and breakfast. I've been up since 6.

Mainstream health authorities are constantly telling us to eat more fiber for health, particularly whole grains, fruit and vegetables. Yet the only clinical trial that has ever isolated the effect of eating a high-fiber diet on overall risk of death, the Diet and Reinfarction Trial, came up with this graph:



Oops! How embarrassing. At two years, the group that doubled its fiber intake had a 27% greater chance of dying and a 23% greater chance of having a heart attack. The extra fiber was coming from whole grains. I should say, out of fairness, that the result wasn't quite statistically significant (p less than 0.05) at two years. But at the very least, this doesn't support the idea that increasing fiber will extend your life. I believe this the only diet trial that has ever looked at fiber and mortality, without also changing other variables at the same time.

Why might fiber be problematic? I read a paper recently that gave a pretty convincing answer to that question: "Dietary Fibre and Mineral Bioavailability", by Dr. Barbara F. Hartland. By definition, fiber is indigestible. We can divide it into two categories: soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fiber is mostly cellulose and it's relatively inert, besides getting fermented a bit by the gut flora. Soluble fiber is anything that can be dissolved in water but not digested by the human digestive tract. It includes a variety of molecules, some of which are quite effective at keeping you from absorbing minerals. Chief among these is phytic acid, with smaller contributions from tannins (polyphenols) and oxalates. The paper makes a strong case that phytic acid is the main reason fiber prevents mineral absorption, rather than the insoluble fiber fraction. This notion was confirmed here.

As a little side note, polyphenols are those wonderful plant antioxidants that are one of the main justifications for the supposed health benefits of vegetables, tea, chocolate, fruits and antioxidant supplements. The problem is, many of them are actually anti-nutrients. They reduce mineral absorption, reduce growth and feed efficiency in a number of species, and the antioxidant effect seen in human plasma after eating them is due largely to our own bodies secreting uric acid into the blood (a defense mechanism?), rather than the polyphenols themselves. The main antioxidants in plasma are uric acid, vitamin C and vitamin E, with almost no direct contribution from polyphenols. I'm open to the idea that some polyphenols could be beneficial if someone can show me convincing data, but in any case they are not the panacea they're made out to be. Thanks to Peter for cluing me in on this.

Whole grains would be a good source of water-soluble vitamins and minerals, if it weren't for their very high phytic acid content. Even though whole grains are full of minerals, replacing refined grains with whole grains in the diet (and especially adding extra bran) actually reduces the overall absorption of a number of minerals (free text, check out table 4). This has been confirmed repeatedly for iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. That could well account for the increased mortality in the DART trial.

Refining grains gets rid of the vitamins and minerals but at least refined grains don't prevent you from absorbing the minerals in the rest of your food. Here's a comparison of a few of the nutrients in one cup of cooked brown vs. unenriched white rice (218 vs. 242 calories):

Brown rice would be quite nutritious if we could absorb all those minerals. There are a few ways to increase mineral absorption from whole grains. One way is to soak them in slightly acidic, warm water, which allows their own phytase enzyme to break down phytic acid. This doesn't seem to do much for brown rice, which doesn't contain much phytase.

A more effective method is to grind grains and soak them before cooking, which helps the phytase function more effectively, especially in gluten grains and buckwheat. The most effective method by far, and the method of choice among healthy traditional cultures around the world, is to soak, grind and ferment whole grains. This breaks down nearly all the phytic acid, making whole grains a good source of both minerals and vitamins.

The paper "Dietary Fibre and Mineral Bioavailability" listed another method of increasing mineral absorption from whole grains that I wasn't aware of. Certain foods can increase the absorption of minerals from whole grains high in phytic acid. These include: foods rich in vitamin C such as fruit or potatoes; meat including fish; and dairy.

Another point the paper made was that the phytic acid content of vegetarian diets is often very high, potentially leading to mineral deficiencies. The typical modern vegetarian diet containing brown rice and unfermented soy products is very high in phytic acid and thus very low in absorbable minerals. The more your diet depends on plant sources for minerals, the more careful you have to be about how you prepare your food.

I will not tolerate comments that are disrespectful or threatening to other commenters or myself. Feel free to disagree with anyone here, including me, in a courteous tone. I enjoy the intelligent discussions we have here, and I don't want them to degenerate into troll wars.

WARNING! The following blog contains a photo of me first thing in the morning. Turn away if you’re easily offended by flannel shirts, mismatched pajamas, and bed head. The thing is, the old me would never have put such a photo out there. The new me, the one working through the “What will people think?” issue, is pretty sure no one gives a goshdarn if I wear makeup or not.

Having said that....

The first time Claire and I cooked together, she was 3 months old. I’d laid her in her mother’s sling and wrapped it around my neck and shoulder then went in the kitchen and made an omelet. Claire couldn’t help much, but still I talked to her about the foods I was chopping and cooking. She didn’t cry so I took that as a good sign.

The older Claire got, the more curious she was about what Grammy Lynn was doing in the kitchen. “Unh! Unh!” she’d say, pulling at my leg and bouncing a little with her arms in the air. In other words, “Pick me up, NOW!” When she weighed less than 20 pounds, it wasn’t too hard cooking with one arm (here we are making Christmas brunch) and she fit on my hip. But she’s at a size now where I can’t hold her and cook at the same time. When I was at her house yesterday morning, I knew as soon as she heard me digging out the fry pans, she’d be there like a shot wanting to know what I was doing and insisting she be picked up. Hmmmmm...what to do, what to do. God knows the word “No” isn’t in my vocabulary when it comes to that baby.

“Wow” is Claire’s favorite word. Everything her little 16-month-old eyes perceive as fun is “wow”: things that make noise, glitter, have pockets, flip open, snap shut…you get the picture. She purses her lips and her eyes get really big and then she draws out the word long and dramatic in her throaty little voice: “Oooooowoooowwww.” So apparently my solution to the “Claire wants to help Grammy in the kitchen” dilemma was a hit when she said, “Oooooowoooowwww” after I picked her up and set her on the kitchen counter next to me and handed her a red pepper. She sat there patiently and attentively for 15 minutes while I – I mean we – made an omelet.

As she held the red pepper (“Oooooowowww…”) she picked at the little price sticker. Big help! She held the jar of minced garlic for me (well, she shook and shook the jar of minced garlic) until she discovered that mushrooms were much more fun to touch (“Oooooowoooowwww…”). She even handed me the can of Pam when I needed it. What can I say? The kid is brilliant.

When we were done, we sat down on a stool on the other side of the counter and ate our omelet. Claire loves eggs. She isn’t crazy for Swiss cheese, but she likes spinach. I suspect she’ll continue to like spinach until some kid tells her it’s gross. Isn’t that how many of our food aversions originated?

When Cassie got back from her doctor’s appointment (g-baby #2 is due in 3 months!!), she, Claire and I went out for lunch at Bob Evan’s. Cassie ordered grilled chicken, broccoli and a baked potato and shared with Claire. She told me Claire’s never had McDonald's, something she said her coworkers find amusing and almost shocking. One of them asked her, “Well, what do you do on nights you’re rushing around and need to get dinner?” Cassie laughed and said, “I make dinner.”

It made me wonder, when did being busy become an excuse to feed kids Happy Meals? This is a legitimate question and not some kind of McDonald’s bashing because I was guilty of it back in the day, too. But I’ve since learned that making something healthy at home can be just as quick as going through the drive-through. It takes less than a minute to throw some turkey, cheese, tomato and lettuce on a wrap before running out the door; less than a minute to grab a handful of carrots and put a couple tablespoons of low-fat salad dressing in a Tupperware container to eat in the car.

I cringe when I hear people ask their children in restaurants, “Do you want broccoli or french fries?”

I’d love it if Claire never ate a french fry, but I know that’s not reality. And I’m not saying all fast food is bad or that kids should never be offered a treat. But maybe by continually exposing her to healthy foods and making cooking fun, Claire will opt more often for the broccoli or the apple or the turkey wrap.

Please don’t think me the Tyrannical Food Grammy. I’ve already got big plans for making Christmas cookies with Claire this year. But more often than not, we’ll be cooking up the healthy stuff and having a lot of “Oooooowooooowwwww” fun. Who knows? Maybe some day Claire and I will have our own cooking show.

There are many Sources, ebooks and training courses have been written about how to make money online today, from about how easy fast make money online, free ways to make money online, or any other info make money online. We can easily get the information about that sources in the internet, either free or pay. But be careful, not all of that sources can fully apply. Because there are many people who only seek to take advantages of the needs of other people to information.
In this article we will discuss about two of many important things to keep in mind that we must do when we decided to learn earning money on the Internet.

Be cautious about the guidance that you accept. It is very easy for a person to call themselves an specialist and take money from people who do not know any better.
You see this happen all the time! Someone makes a sales and then decides that the market they are going to target is the how to make money. There certainly is something wrong with being in this market if you know what you're talking about. However as an Internet marketing newbie yourself you need to be cautious about accepting guidance from someone who does not have the credentials to back it up.
If you are unsure about someone's credentials go to several Internet marketing forums and ask about them. For instance you can go to the warriorforum.com and rapidly look out whether someone is genuine or not.
With social networking you can also make friends and see for yourself who is a good person to follow the direction of. One place to do this is with Twitter.com where you can build up a list of followers and watch their amends.

The second point we want to make is the majority of the time that you spend online every day should be promoting and marketing your business. I'll even go one step further and say that you should spend a good portion of your time every day blogging.
Search engines love blogs and so do readers. There are many resources available online that can teach you how to blog prosperously. For instance ProBlogger.Net is one of the best website online for teaching people how to blog.
I would call this an authority site as the amount of content available to you, and the essence of the content, is incomparable. You can learn everything you need to make money online as a blogger just by following other accomplished bloggers hanging out at this site.

Blogging allows you to make money in niche writing about things you appreciate. It also allows you to produce a tremendous amount of free traffic over a long period of time. Therefore having a standard blog with high traffic is a magnificent way to sell products, sell advertising, and make money.
In summary this is two things you must do to make money online. Watch out who you accept guidance from, learn how to blog, and become a specialist at it.

On Wednesday night I have piano class. It makes for a very long day. So on Thursday, I feel like I didn't get much rest. And I got up and went to the gym.

I'm working hard to get back into a routine. I made it to the gym four times this week. I haven't gotten sick—knock on wood. But I am totally worn out today.

I have tow more personal training sessions coming up. One this coming Monday, and one the Monday after that. I'm hoping this sparks some new motivation.

I still don't have a lot to say. So. . . .

The study was the work of researchers from the Preventing Overweight Using Novel Dietary Strategies (POUNDS LOST) study, and was based at Harvard University School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, and at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisianna to reflect the diverse range of culinary preferences from the two regions. The study was published online in the 26 February issue of the New England Journal of Medicine and was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health.

observation #1: I am getting dumber and my kids are getting smarter.

My youngest son is undergoing some tests with a psychologist as part of an educational assessment. After his session, the psychologist showed us some of the non-verbal test questions, which involved pattern recognition. D. picked out the illustrations that fit the sequence in split seconds. I asked if he had seen these particular questions before. He hadn't. He's just quick and very, very bright.

The thing is that he answered these questions much more quickly than I could have, selecting the right answer while I was still puzzling it out.

observation #2: I derive almost as much satisfaction from making lists as I do getting things done.

I am going away tomorrow morning (I got a scholarship to attend the Annual Conference for Young Women Affected By Breast Cancer, in Dallas) for a few days. I spent a good part of the morning making a list of everything I need to get done. I love lists. Having several (what to bring in my carry on, what to pack and what I need to do before I go) has made me feel much almost as though my work is done.

observation #3: I am very anxious about attending a conference where I will know no one.

The truth is that I would rather speak in front of 1000 people than meet 100 people one at a time. The words "networking opportunity" scare me. I have been reminding myself that I need to have an open and friendly demeanor and that it's OK to bail and go to my room when it all gets to be too much.

observation #4: Having worked in communications does not make it easier to promote my own work.

I would rather sell a message or promote someone else then sell myself. I have had the same business cards (lovely ones that my older son made for me) for a year and have yet to make much of a dent in them. I am bringing flyers advertising my book, though and will at least put them on tables, even if I don't have the courage to talk about it.

observation #5: I get very excited at having time to myself and tend to over-estimate what I will have the time to do.

The weather will be warm in Dallas. And my hotel (we got great discounted conference rates) is far from anything touristy to do. It does have nice grounds, a nice gym, several pools and an outdoor restaurant, so I plan to pretend that I am at the spa in the hours before the conference starts. I am bringing knitting, books and workout gear. Lots of all of it.

observation #6: Homeland Security is going to have a field day with my suitcase.

Circular knitting needles (joined by flexible cables), pins (for blocking or shaping finished scarves on my extra bed) and a bottle of hair mousse. I might as well paste a sign on my suitcase that says "suspicious contents!". The Yarn Harlot says that her suitcase is opened and checked every time she goes to the States. Mine was only opened the one time I packed knitting in my suitcase. I think knitting needles look suspicious on x-rays.

Off to make some tick marks in my to-do list now.

I may blog while I'm away, if I can find free wireless in the hotel lobby. Can someone tell me why the cheap chains give you free wireless but the fancy hotels charge extortionate rates for slow access?

"Consequently, we regularly see preposterous claims," the journal says, including that vitamin B injections speed up the breakdown of fat — a claim the journal says lacks "published medical evidence" — and "magical" herbal supplements promising to curb appetite, reduce cravings and accelerate metabolism.




Regulations are needed to protect consumers, the Canadian Medical Association Journal says. People have died from medically unsupervised, very low-calorie diets, and over-the-counter supplements containing ephedra.

"Neither public health agencies nor the medical community are doing enough to solve the problem of obesity," the editorial says. "Those suffering with obesity are often desperate for solutions and hence prone to exploitation. It's time we put an end to this nonsense."

Read more on: Canada.com

A Mardi Gras Parade erupted into chaos on Fat Tuesday when a series of gunshots struck seven people, including a toddler. The child was not seriously injured and two suspects were in custody, police said.

The shootings happened near the Garden District after the last major parade of the celebration. Rex had ended. A stream of truck floats that follow the parade were passing by when gunfire broke out.
Police Spokeman said, the victims are three men ages 50, 33 and 20, two young women ages 20 and 17 and a 15 year old boy were taken to area hospital. A 20 month old baby was grazed by a bullet but not seriously hurt.
The motive of the shootings hasn't been determine yet, but police believe that the victims were bystanders hit at random.
Two men, 19-year-old Mark Brooks, and 18-year-old Louis Lazone, both of New Orleans, were each booked with seven counts of attempted first-degree murder. Brooks also faces a charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, Police said. It was not immediately known if the men had attorneys. Three weapons believed used in the shooting were recovered.
Source: www.thejakartapost.com

The B-Life is taking a short vacation. We'll be back with you in March!

One of the things I've been noticing in my readings on grain processing and mineral bioavailability is that it's difficult to make whole grains into a good source of minerals. Whole grains naturally contain more minerals that milled grains where the bran and germ are removed, but most of the minerals are bound up in ways that prevent their absorption.

The phytic acid content of whole grains is the main reason for their low mineral bioavailability. Brown rice, simply cooked, provides very little iron and essentially no zinc due to its high concentration of phytic acid. Milling brown rice, which turns it into white rice, removes most of the minerals but also most of the phytic acid, leaving mineral bioavailability similar to or perhaps even better than brown rice (the ratio of phytic acid to iron and zinc actually decreases after milling rice). If you're going to throw rice into the rice cooker without preparing it first, white rice is probably better than brown overall. Either way, the mineral availability of rice is low. Here's how Dr. Robert Hamer's group put it when they evaluated the mineral content of 56 varieties of Chinese rice:

This study shows that the mineral bio-availability of Chinese rice varieties will be [less than] 4%. Despite the variation in mineral contents, in all cases the [phytic acid] present is expected to render most mineral present unavailable. We conclude that there is scope for optimisation of mineral contents of rice by matching suitable varieties and growing regions, and that rice products require processing that retains minerals but results in thorough dephytinisation.

My youngest son came to see me in the kitchen this morning, while I was making school lunches (By the way, has there ever been a more thankless task in the history of parenting? I don't thinks so).

Me: "Your face is so clean! Great job!"

D.: "I washed my face!" (He shows me how he did it, miming vigorous rubbing.)

Me: "That's great!"

D.: "And I brushed my teeth. And I even flossed." (He mimes brushing and flossing.)

Me (impressed): "That is amazing. You are awesome."

D.: "I did it because at day care we are learning about the importance of good hygiene."

They have good teachers at the day care. And, apparently, their words carry more weight than mine do. Maybe I could ask them to talk about "the importance of being polite to his parents" or "the importance of cleaning up his toys."

...Dutch!

Thanks to everyone who posted a comment about stress eating and my review of "Stress Eater Diet."

I'm off to P'burgh for a few days to see daughter Cassie and grandbaby Claire. The sun is finally out, word has it it will be 46 degrees tomorrow...what more can a girl want? I'll be in touch!

P.S. She's such a little diva in her Hello Kitty duds, isn't she? Hollywood's Red Carpet's got nothin' on Claire's style.

In life, there are some feeling that we called pride, for example; have pride in the good work, proud to have a good vehicle, have proud of our own home, both luxurious or simple, and many more pride which if we presented here will take a lot number of pages, not to mention the time that must be spared on. What is the background of our pride, and how to manage our pride in addition to improve our quality of life. But be careful with our pride, do not lead the pride on the natural desire to be recommended and praised, arrogance and lofty, even subservience of others. Lofty and Arrogance sin in Islam is a sin that does not have forgiveness, remember the story of Satan when expelled from Paradise, and will occupy the Fire forever, because it sin of arrogance, lofty, hubris.

Showing pride is showing a passion for our self and for life itself. Passion is the essence of life. We live fully by the virtue of pride. Pride is a personal awareness and the acceptance of our personal power of mind and body. It is the propelling force that moves up the rungs of the ladder of life. It is what compels us to continue the fight when we may be tempted to bow down to someone else's demands.

Do we have something we've proud of? We are proud because we have achieved something good. This makes pride a good thing. Being proud of something is to have achieved good and to let others know about it. This is an admirable trait. When we have achieved good, we should be proud to let others know it and toot our horn occasionally.

Be mighty, be proud, continue being mighty proud because it is the proud who prime themselves for mastery of all things while the meek inherit slavery. Pride frees us. Having an attitude of being bigger than the obstacles in front of us will keep us from faltering. It is pride that pushes us through the barriers of life. It is faith in our abilities to achieve things we haven't before achieved, even when others tell us it is impossible. Those who have pride do not accept the controlling limitations that others set upon them; they set the rules for those who do not have pride in themselves.

Lions, the king of the beasts, live in prides. Their mighty roars tell the world how proud they are of their position at the top. Natural selection has smiled favor on lions as conquerors. It is the conquerors who shape evolution. These are the catalysts of the divine plans set by the supreme gods and goddesses. From conqueror to god nature rewards those who are bold and proud. We are a manifestation of the pride of our ancestors. We are their legacy, what they have left the world to remember them by and we should be proud of all they accomplished in life. Our ancestors are called great and grand for a reason.

The natural outcome of honor is pride. We are honored by other people and even ourselves for accomplishments we have made and qualities we have. We can give others pride in themselves and their accomplishments by honoring them. We give ourselves pride by honoring our own accomplishments. Having pride means we have a purpose, a meaning and an overall integrity. We have earned the right to be proud. We should be proud just to be alive; it is the strong who survive. Take pride in what we are; we are a human being which in itself means we are marvelous creature. We have earned the right to be proud. It is the strong who survive. Be proud of all of your accomplishments, even life itself is an accomplishment. Be proud of being who we are and of being the marvelous creature known as human. We all are a unique being. Be proud of who we are and of who we will become, it is our pride that is going to shape us into the being we become and the success we are in life.

Being proud is being great and being great is being proud. Pride is what gives us the standard of excellence we live up to and it is how we leave a lasting impression on the world. We can build our reputation by having it in ourself and all that we do. Being strong willed, having determination, having an ego and pride all go hand in hand together. These are the factors that make us the man or woman that we are, the person who demands and is in demand. It is the flame in the fire of motivation. It is the devotion we have to liberated and ethical living. It is the strength and dominance that drives those who dare to unapologetically seize and flaunt their potential whether it be for the good of others or themselves. Having pride means believing in ourself.

There is a reason we exist. It is what makes us feel good and feel good about our accomplishments. It makes us feel good. Having a healthy self-esteem and self respect makes us feel good. We are a valuable, worthy person who deserves to have pride. It is pride that gives us personal power and satisfaction in ourself. Having pride is always best since having it means being pleased with ourself and our accomplishments. Having pride in ourself is a good thing since no matter where we are, we have to be there with ourself. It is like the old saying, "we can run but we can't hide".

Having pride means we won't want to run from who we are, we will always be happy with ourself and what we have done in life. Things that make people happy and create pleasurable feelings are the things they do not run from. It is the magnetic force behind the self-assurance that draws in good things. The good things in our life that we can be proud of because they are from our good works are what make us the great-awesome-fantastically-stupendous person we are.

PANCASILA/STATE PHILOSOPHY
Pancasila is the philosophic fundamentals of the state. The word “Pancasila” is derived from two Sanskrit words, “panca” which means five, and “sila” which means principle. Pancasila consists of five principles that are interrelated and inseparable, namely:

1. Ketuhanan Yang Maha Esa (The belief in one God)
2. Kemanusiaan Yang Adil Dan Beradab (A just and civilized humanism)
3. Persatuan Indonesia (Unity of Indonesia)
4. Kerakyatan Yang Dipimpin Oleh Hikmat Kebijaksanaan Dalam Permusyawaratan/Perwakilan (Democratic citizenship lead by wise guidance born of representative consultation)
5. Keadilan Sosial Bagi Seluruh Rakyat Indonesia (Social just for all the people of Indonesia)

Indonesia is a democratic country that applies a presidential system and Pancasila is the soul of the Indonesian democracy. Indonesia adopts a democracy that is based on the 5 principles known as the Pancasila Democracy. These state fundamentals were proclaimed by President Soekarno (the first President of Indonesia) on the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Indonesia on 17 August 1945.

GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION
Indonesia is one of the largest archipelagos in the world that has 17,508 islands, situated between 6 degrees northern latitude and 11 degrees southern latitude and spreading from 97 degrees to 141 degrees eastern longitude and it is located between two continents – Asia and Australia/Oceania. This strategic position greatly influences the country’s culture, social, politics and economy.
Stretching along 3,977 miles between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, Indonesia has a total area of 1.9 million square miles including the ocean waters.
The five large islands of Indonesia are: Sumatera covering 473.606 square km, Java with 132.107 square km, Kalimantan (the third largest island in the world) with an area of 539.460 square km, Sulawesi with 189.216 square km, and Papua with an area of 421.981 square km.

GEOLOGICAL HISTORY
The islands of Indonesia were formed in the Miocene age (12 million years BC); Palaeocene age (70 million years BC); Eocene age (30 million years BC); Oligacene age (25 million years BC). As people from Asia started to migrate, it is believed that Indonesia existed since the Pleistocene age (4 million years BC). The islands have a great effect on the change of the Australian and Pacific tectonic plate. The Australian plate changes slowly with an upward movement into the small plates of the Pacific plate that moves southward. Between these lines, the islands of Indonesia are stretched out.
This makes Indonesia as one of the most changing geological area in the world. There are 400 volcanic mountains – which 100 of them are active- that dot the islands of Indonesia. Every day Indonesia experiences three vibrations, at least one earthquake a day and one volcanic eruption in a year.

DEMOGRAPHY
The population of Indonesia can be divided into two major groups: in the western region most of the people are from the Malay ethnicity while in the eastern region there are the Papuans originating from the Melanesian Islands. Indonesia also recognizes specific ethnic groups that come from a certain province/area and have specific language for example the Javanese from Central or East Java, the Sundanese from West Java or the Batak ethnicity from North Sumatra.
In addition, there are also minority ethnicities derived from Chinese, Indian and Arabic descendents. These people travelled as merchants through trade exchange since the 8th century BC and migrated to Indonesia. Approximately 3% of the population is from Chinese ethnicity, although the exact percentage is not known as the last ethnicity census was held in the 1930s.
Islam is the major religion of 85.2% of the population, designating Indonesia as the largest Moslem country in the world. The remaining population consists of Protestants (8.9%); Catholics (3%); Hindus (1.8%); Buddhists (0.8%) and other religion (0.3%).
Many Indonesians speak their ethnic language as their mother tongue. However, the Indonesian language is the official language and it is taught at all schools and most Indonesians are proficient in using the language for communication.

POLITICS
As in other democratic countries, Indonesia applies the Trias Politica that recognizes the separation of the legislative, executive and judicial bodies. The legislative authority is under the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) that consists of two bodies namely the Parliament composing of members of political parties and the Regional Representative Council (DPD) composing of representatives from each province in Indonesia. Each province is represented by 4 delegates that are elected by the people in the respective region.
The People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) is the highest state institution. Upon the Amendment of the 1945 Constitution, the membership of the MPR starting the period of 1999-2004, was amended to include not only the members of the parliament (DPR) but also the members of the DPD. Formerly the MPR consisted of the parliament members and group representatives. Currently, the MPR has 550 members from the parliament and 128 members from the Regional Representative Council (DPD). The parliament members and the DPD members are elected every five years. Since 2004, the MPR has become a bi-chamber parliament with the DPD as second chamber.
The executive institution is centralized under the president, vice president, and the cabinet of ministers. The cabinet is a presidential cabinet in which the ministers report to the president and do not represent the political parties.
The judicial institution -since the reform era and upon the amendment of the 1945 Constitution- is administered by the Supreme Court including the administration of the judges.

PROVINCES
Indonesia has 33 provinces (including 2 Special Territories of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and Yogyakarta) and one Special Capital Region of Jakarta (DKI). East Timor was once part of Indonesia, but then through a referendum in 1999, East Timor became the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste.

Provinces in Indonesia

Sumatra
Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, North Sumatera, West Sumatera, Bengkulu, Riau, Riau Islands, Jambi, South Sumatera, Lampung, Bangka Belitung Islands.

Java
Jakarta, West Java, Banten, Central Java, Yogyakarta Special Territory, East Java.

Kalimantan
West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan.

Nusa Tenggara
Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara.

Sulawesi
West Sulawesi, North Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, South East Sulawesi, Gorontalo.

Maluku and Papua Islands
Maluku, North Maluku, West Papua, Papua.

ECONOMY
In the 1990’s, Indonesia’s economy experienced a set-back as a consequence of the economy crisis that hit most Asian countries. However, the economy is now relatively stable.
Indonesia has abundant natural resources outside Java including crude oil, natural gas, tin, copper and gold. Despite being the second largest exporter of natural gas, Indonesia recently has become a net importer of crude oil. The agriculture products of Indonesia include rice, tea, coffee, spices and rubber.
The major trade partners of Indonesia are Japan, the United States of America and neighboring countries namely Malaysia, Singapore and Australia.
Although Indonesia is rich in natural and human resources, the country is still facing crucial issues of poverty that mainly is caused by the wide-spread corruption in the government. The Central Bank is Bank Indonesia.

CULTURAL ART
Indonesia’s cultural art is greatly influenced by other cultures, such as the Hindu mythology and culture that is reflected in the Javanese and Balinese dances.
Many of the dances also reflect some Islamic values. Several of these dances originate from the island of Sumatra, such as the Saman Meusukat dance and the Seudati dance from Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam.

Another famous cultural item from Indonesia is the wayang kulit (shadow puppet made from goat skin) that depicts mythological characters and stories. The art of old poetry in the form of quatrain and couplet sayings from various regions such as the Malay quatrain are often cited in special occasions or in cultural performances.

One of Indonesia’s cultural heritage that has been acknowledged as a world heritage is the batik cloth. The prominent batik industry areas are in Yogyakarta, Solo, and also Pekalongan.

Pencak silat is an art of self defense which is uniquely from Indonesia. This martial art is sometimes shown at certain performances accompanied by traditional music of the region.

In the field of music, Indonesia is rich with traditional as well as modern music that extends from the city of Sabang (the western point of Indonesia) to the city of Merauke (the eastern point of Indonesia). Although traditional music including Javanese keroncong is commonly known, modern music is more popular followed by dangdut music. Dangdut is one type of music originating from Indonesia that has also become quite popular throughout the country. This type of music is a blend of Malay and Indian music with elements from traditional music as well. The name of “Dangdut “ is derived from the sounds of “dang” and “dut” (pronounced as “doot”) that come from the dominating resonances of the bongo and the flute. The Dangdut singers usually sing while dancing expressively and gracefully following the beat of the music. There are several varieties of Dangdut music namely Malay Dangdut, Modern Dangdut (using modern instruments) and Coastal Dangdut (influenced by Javanese and Sundanese traditional music). In the 1970s, Dangdut was initially recognized as a type of Malay orchestral music, but in the 1980s, this type of music became more popularly known as Dangdut music.

The people of Indonesia consist of various ethnic groups, religions and faith. The various ethnic groups are for example Dayak in Kalimantan (Borneo), Batak, Karo, Minangkabau, Malay in Sumatra and so forth. Indonesia acknowledges several religions namely Islam, Christianity, Catholicism, Hinduism and Buddhism and the Konghucu faith, but the majority of the population are Moslems.

Sources: Indonesian Government Official Website
www.indonesia.go.id