Life is Healthy

Prevention is Easier than Cure

Experiments in animals have confirmed what common sense suggests: it's easier to prevent health problems than to reverse them. Still, many health conditions can be improved, and in some cases reversed, through lifestyle interventions. It's important to have realistic expectations and to be kind to oneself. Cultivating a drill sergeant mentality will not improve quality of life, and isn't likely to be sustainable.

Fat Loss: a New Approach

If there's one thing that's consistent in the medical literature, it's that telling people to eat fewer calories does not help them lose weight in the long term. Gary Taubes has written about this at length in his book Good Calories, Bad Calories, and in his upcoming book on body fat. Many people who use this strategy see transient fat loss, followed by fat regain and a feeling of defeat. There's a simple reason for it: the body doesn't want to lose weight. It's extremely difficult to fight the fat mass setpoint, and the body will use every tool it has to maintain its preferred level of fat: hunger, reduced body temperature, higher muscle efficiency (i.e., less energy is expended for the same movement), lethargy, lowered immune function, et cetera.

Therefore, what we need for sustainable fat loss is not starvation; we need a treatment that lowers the fat mass setpoint. There are several criteria that this treatment will have to meet to qualify:

1. It must cause fat loss
2. It must not involve deliberate calorie restriction
3. It must maintain fat loss over a long period of time
4. It must not be harmful to overall health
   

I also prefer strategies that make sense from the perspective of human evolution.

Strategies: Diet Pattern

The most obvious treatment that fits all of my criteria is low-carbohydrate dieting. Overweight people eating low-carbohydrate diets generally lose fat and spontaneously reduce their calorie intake. In fact, in several diet studies, investigators compared an all-you-can-eat low-carbohydrate diet with a calorie-restricted low-fat diet. The low-carbohydrate dieters generally reduced their calorie intake and body fat to a similar or greater degree than the low-fat dieters, despite the fact that they ate all the calories they wanted (1). This suggest that their fat mass setpoint had changed. At this point, I think moderate carbohydrate restriction may be preferable to strict carbohydrate restriction for some people, due to the increasing number of reports I've read of people doing poorly in the long run on extremely low-carbohydrate diets (2).

Another strategy that appears effective is the "paleolithic" diet. In Dr. Staffan Lindeberg's 2007 diet study, overweight volunteers with heart disease lost fat and reduced their calorie intake to a remarkable degree while eating a diet consistent with our hunter-gatherer heritage (3). This result is consistent with another diet trial of the paleolithic diet in diabetics (4). In post hoc analysis, Dr. Lindeberg's group showed that the reduction in weight was apparently independent of changes in carbohydrate intake*. This suggests that the paleolithic diet has health benefits that are independent of carbohydrate intake.

Strategies: Gastrointestinal Health

Since the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is so intimately involved in body fat metabolism and overall health (see the former post), the next strategy is to improve GI health. There are a number of ways to do this, but they all center around four things:

1. Don't eat food that encourages the growth of harmful bacteria
2. Eat food that encourages the growth of good bacteria
3. Don't eat food that impairs gut barrier function
4. Eat food that promotes gut barrier health

The first one is pretty easy: avoid refined sugar, refined carbohydrate in general, and lactose if you're lactose intolerant. For the second and fourth points, make sure to eat fermentable fiber. In one trial, oligofructose supplements led to sustained fat loss, without any other changes in diet (5). This is consistent with experiments in rodents showing improvements in gut bacteria profile, gut barrier health, glucose tolerance and body fat mass with oligofructose supplementation (6, 7, 8).

Oligofructose is similar to inulin, a fiber that occurs naturally in a wide variety of plants. Good sources are jerusalem artichokes, jicama, artichokes, onions, leeks, burdock and chicory root. Certain non-industrial cultures had a high intake of inulin. There are some caveats to inulin, however: inulin and oligofructose can cause gas, and can also exacerbate gastroesophageal reflux disorder (9). So don't eat a big plate of jerusalem artichokes before that important date.

The colon is packed with symbiotic bacteria, and is the site of most intestinal fermentation. The small intestine contains fewer bacteria, but gut barrier function there is critical as well. The small intestine is where the GI doctor will take a biopsy to look for celiac disease. Celiac disease is a degeneration of the small intestinal lining due to an autoimmune reaction caused by gluten (in wheat, barley and rye). This brings us to one of the most important elements of maintaining gut barrier health: avoiding food sensitivities. Gluten and casein (in dairy protein) are the two most common offenders. Gluten sensitivity is widespread and typically undiagnosed (10).

Eating raw fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt and half-sour pickles also helps maintain the integrity of the upper GI tract. I doubt these have any effect on the colon, given the huge number of bacteria already present. Other important factors in gut barrier health are keeping the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats in balance, eating nutrient-dense food, and avoiding the questionable chemical additives in processed food. If triglycerides are important for leptin sensitivity, then avoiding sugar and ensuring a regular source of omega-3 should aid weight loss as well.

Strategies: Micronutrients

As I discussed in the last post, micronutrient deficiency probably plays a role in obesity, both in ways that we understand and ways that we (or I) don't. Eating a diet that has a high nutrient density and ensuring a good vitamin D status will help any sustainable fat loss strategy. The easiest way to do this is to eliminate industrially processed foods such as white flour, sugar and seed oils. These constitute more than 50% of calories for the average Westerner.

After that, you can further increase your diet's nutrient density by learning to properly prepare grains and legumes to maximize their nutritional value and digestibility (11, 12; or by avoiding grains and legumes altogether if you wish), selecting organic and/or pasture-raised foods if possible, and eating seafood including seaweed. One of the problems with extremely low-carbohydrate diets is that they may be low in water-soluble micronutrients, although this isn't necessarily the case.

Strategies: Miscellaneous

In general, exercise isn't necessarily helpful for fat loss. However, there is one type of exercise that clearly is: high-intensity intermittent training (HIIT). It's basically a fancy name for sprints. They can be done on a track, on a stationary bicycle, using weight training circuits, or any other way that allows sufficient intensity. The key is to achieve maximal exertion for several brief periods, separated by rest. This type of exercise is not about burning calories through exertion: it's about increasing hormone sensitivity using an intense, brief stressor (hormesis). Even a ridiculously short period of time spent training HIIT each week can result in significant fat loss, despite no change in diet or calorie intake (13).

Anecdotally, many people have had success using intermittent fasting (IF) for fat loss. There's some evidence in the scientific literature that IF and related approaches may be helpful (14). There are different approaches to IF, but a common and effective method is to do two complete 24-hour fasts per week. It's important to note that IF isn't about restricting calories, it's about resetting the fat mass setpoint. After a fast, allow yourself to eat quality food until you're no longer hungry.

Insufficient sleep has been strongly and repeatedly linked to obesity. Whether it's a cause or consequence of obesity I can't say for sure, but in any case it's important for health to sleep until you feel rested. If your sleep quality is poor due to psychological stress, meditating before bedtime may help. I find that meditation has a remarkable effect on my sleep quality. Due to the poor development of oral and nasal structures in industrial nations, many people do not breathe effectively and may suffer from conditions such as sleep apnea that reduce sleep quality. Overweight also contributes to these problems.

I'm sure there are other useful strategies, but that's all I have for now. If you have something to add, please put it in the comments.


* Since reducing carbohydrate intake wasn't part of the intervention, this result is observational.

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 01/30/2010 11:08 PM

Customs officers in Dumai, Riau arrested on Saturday a woman who was caught carrying 175 grams of meth in her underpants.

Spokesman for the Directorate General of Customs and Excise, Evi Suhartantyo, told Antara news agency the meth was wrapped in seven packages, each containing 25 grams. Evi added two of the packages were kept in her bra.

The suspect, identified by her initials as MBS, was caught at a ferry terminal in Dumai.

The arrest came just a week after customs officers in Bali caught a French national for carrying heroin at the Ngurah Rai airport. The Frenchman, identified as FB, was arriving from Bangkok.

Also on Jan. 23, customs officers in Binjai, North Sumatra, raided an illegal liquor plant and confiscated 251 boxes containing 6,210 bottles of liquor of various fake brands.

Antara News, Saturday, January 30, 2010 22:53 WIB

Medan (ANTARA News) - Police in Medan, North Sumatra, on Saturday arrested 26 illegal immigrants from Afghanistan.

The immigrants were arrested in Pasar III area on Jalan Datuk Kabu, Percut Sei Tuan, Deli Serdang, according to a source.

The immigrants were undergoing questioning at the police station in Medan.

One of them, Zaki, said they arrived in Medan on Saturday in the waters he did not know its name.

He said they fled Afghanistan because they could no longer stand the situation there. They had chosen Indonesia because they considered it being actively involved in international peace processes.

"Indonesia is also considered a safe country," he said.

When I was little, Mom claimed Saturdays as her day to sleep in, which meant my brother and I spent the morning with Dad. It was awesome. We got to wear anything we wanted – stripes on plaid, Friday’s underwear, one blue and one green sock – and the only mandatory rules were to brush our teeth, wash our hands and flush the toilet. We didn’t even have to brush our hair!

Dressed and unkempt, we’d pile in the car and go to the bakery. Dad bought us whatever donut we wanted (as you can guess, anything with chocolate icing was OK with me). We’d eat our donuts while Dad drove the station wagon through the car wash, then we’d go home and watch cartoons.

When my girls were little, Saturday mornings were my day to sleep in, too. At least until Pee Wee’s Playhouse came on. The girls woke me up for that. But beforehand, they’d get up and “make” their own breakfast* and I let them wear whatever they wanted. As long as they brushed their teeth, washed their hands and flushed the toilet, they could watch cartoons all morning.

(*The night before, I’d place a box of cereal on the counter along with two bowls. I’d pour milk in two plastic cups and juice in two other cups, cover them in plastic wrap, and set them in the refrigerator. The next morning, the girls poured their own cereal and added the pre-measured milk. It was their first cooking lesson!)

As I write this, my hair isn’t combed and I don’t have any one thing I want to address in this morning's blog. So in the tradition of my hodge-podge Saturdays, I offer the following observations and a very tasty recipe:

1. You know how I said a few blogs ago that I was going to be more mindful and to not wish away moments? Well, tell me if this is cheating: I acknowledge that it’s 7 degrees outside, and while I don’t like it, I accept that there’s nothing I can do to change the weather. That’s staying present, right? But in defiance of the thermometer, I made a pretty spring-colored breakfast:

A raspberry-banana smoothie with chocolate soy and Greek yogurt and a cup of Spring Cherry green tea. And even though I shivered in front of my space heater, eating tropical fruit and thinking of cherry blossoms kept me warm in my mind.

That might be cheating a little, but it was a very good moment within a moment.

2. Cammy at Tippy Toe Diet posted a great blog yesterday about how jam packed the grocery stores get whenever the weather’s about to turn bad. What is it about predictions of snow and ice that cause people to suddenly need copious amounts of milk, bread and eggs? It’s like snow causes masses of people to crave French Toast!

3. Sometimes it takes more than will and intention to get me on the elliptical. That’s when I rely on my favorite workout shirt for motivation (you know, the pink one?). But when I put it on this morning, I realized it had already seen its last workout. It’s been washed too many times; shrunk up and threadbare. Goodbye, old shirt. Thank you for the great workouts.

4. Two things I love: Middle Eastern spices and simple recipes. My Moroccan Stew is inspired by two recipes, one from Weight Watchers and one from Taste Of Home. You can make it in a crock pot or on the stove.

1 C onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped or minced
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks
2 C carrots, roughly chopped
1 C celery, chopped
2 C canned crushed tomatoes
1 C veggie broth
1 cinnamon stick (or ½ t ground cinnamon)
1-2 t cumin (depends on how much you like cumin)
½ t chili powder (you can also use red pepper flakes if you like it a little hotter)
15 oz canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Sauté onion and garlic in a pan coated with cooking spray until slightly browned. I also add a tablespoon or two of broth which prevents burning or drying. Throw the onions, garlic and everything else in a crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours or in a stock pot and simmer for an hour.

5. If you want to join Lynn’s Weigh on Facebook, click here. We’re a fun little group of losers…and I mean that in a good way.

Wear what you want, don’t worry about your hair, just enjoy your Saturday. See ya’ll Monday!

Over the past 10 years, the Microsoft co-founder's charity has committed $4.5 billion to vaccines and has been instrumental in establishing the GAVI alliance, a public-private partnership that channels money for vaccines in poor countries.

By increasing immunization coverage in developing countries to 90 percent, it should be possible to prevent the deaths of 7.6 million children under five between 2010 and 2019, Gates told reporters at the World Economic Forum.

Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization described Gates' commitment to vaccines as "unprecedented" and called on governments around the world and the private sector to match it with "unprecedented action."

Vaccination rates have already climbed remarkably in recent years, with even a poor African country like Malawi now boasting coverage rates similar to those in many Western cities.

"Over the last 10 years, the success of both increased vaccine coverage and getting new vaccines out has been phenomenal," Gates said.

More cash is now needed to make the most of new vaccines becoming available, including ones against severe diarrhea and pneumococcal disease from GlaxoSmithKline, Merck and Pfizer.

"We can take immunization to the next level, with the expanded uptake of new vaccines against major killers such as pneumonia and rotavirus diarrhea," Chan said in a statement.

She said an extra two million deaths in children under five could be prevented by 2015 by widespread use of new vaccines and a 10 percent increase in global immunization coverage.

Further off, Glaxo is also in the final phase of testing a vaccine against malaria that Gates said could slash deaths from the mosquito-borne disease.

Gates warned against the risk of governments diverting foreign aid funding for health toward climate change, arguing that health should stay a top priority -- not least because better health leads to a lower birth rate.

Curbing the globe's population growth is critical for tackling global warming.

(Reporting by Ben Hirschler, additional reporting by Kate Kelland, editing by Jon Boyle)

The contraceptive is available only on prescription

A recently licensed type of emergency contraception may offer women protection from pregnancy even when taken five days after sex.

Scottish researchers found that ulipristal acetate worked well after the three-day limit of the most commonly used drug, levonorgestrel.

At present ulipristal - unlike levonorgestrel - is only available with a prescription.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service welcomed the study.

Emergency contraception uses hormones to either prevent the release of an egg by the ovary in the hours after sex, or stop it implanting into the the womb.

Levonorgestrel is available from pharmacies, either with a prescription, or sold directly to over-16s.

A study by specialists working for NHS Lothian tested the effectiveness of levonorgestrel and ulipristal (which was licensed for use last year) using a sample of more than 1,600 women from the UK, Ireland and the USA.

A total of 2.6% of the levonorgestrel group became pregnant despite taking the drug, compared with 1.8% in the ulipristal group.

In a much smaller group of women who received emergency contraception more than three days after sex, there were no pregnancies among women who had taken ulipristal compared with three pregnancies among those taking levonorgestrel.

The levels of side effects were roughly the same in both two drugs.

'Time window'

However, researchers said that the newer drug cannot be sold 'over-the-counter' at pharmacies because it did not yet have the established safety record of levonorgestrel.

Ann Furedi, chief executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service described the new type of drug as "exciting news".

She said: "It offers a longer time window for use than the traditional, emergency contraception pill.

"Different hormones are involved to the ones traditionally used in contraception, so it may be that these will prove to have other contraceptive uses in future.

"However, accessibility is key to the uptake of any time-sensitive medication and since this pill is not currently available over-the-counter and is significantly more expensive to buy than the traditional 'morning after pill', it may be that many women who could benefit from it are not able to access it."

The number one bestseller on Amazon right now is Food Rules
by Michael Pollan. It's a slim paperback and costs just $5.00

Here's one review from Amazon;

This book cuts through all the garbage health information out there and gets back to real food and real nutrition. The format is simple and so is the message: Eat food, not too much, mostly plants. Our growing habit of eating packaged, processed foods has an impact on our bodies, our minds, and our planet, and Pollan outlines these while offering straightforward suggestions for getting real food back on the table. Great book.

Jakarta Globe, January 29, 2010

The bodies of a woman and her newborn baby have been found in a gutter at parking area at Dunia Fantasi amusement park in Ancol, North Jakarta, police said on Friday.

Pademangan Police Chief Comsr. Wawan said the woman was 155 cm tall and wore a dark-colored top, pants and an Islamic head scarf. She had a white gold bracelet on her left wrist. She was found by a cleaning staff at 7 a.m.

“She was between 20 and 30 years old. She had been dead for two days,” said Wawan.

“We have checked; her wrist, head, face, arms and legs are all clean. There are no signs of abuse. We haven't been able to make a preliminary conclusion as to the cause of death,” he said.

Police believe the woman was seven months pregnant. "The fetus was fully formed, it had already become a baby,” Wawan said. The baby was a girl, he added, and the umbilical cord was still attached.

The police encourge anyone missing a pregnant friend or relative to report to the Pademangan police or Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital.

JG

Related Article:

Presidential Guard Arrested in Death Of Woman and Baby at Jakarta Amusement Park

You may think this is strange, but I have to say it. A hairy communist bolts. I'll explain later.

Tempo Interactive, Friday, 29 January, 2010 | 20:33 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Yogyakarta:The Health Department will test the Health Operation Aid (BOK) program for 300 community health centers (puskesmas) in seven regencies throughout Indonesia this year. Every community health center will get a budget of Rp. 100 million/year out of a total budget of Rp. 30 billion.

“The test will be conducted in seven regions, which are Java-Bali, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku, Nusa Tenggara and Papua,” said Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih at the dialogue on Health Development Priorities for 2010-2014 in Kepatihan on Friday,.

Present at the event were State Minister for National Development Planning/Chairperson of the National Development Planning, Armida S. Alisjahbana, Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X and Yogyakarta Mayor Herry Zudianto.

The BOK distribution, according to Endang, is aimed at improving the puskesmas’ performance, both in promoting and preventing health issues. The service includes family planning, nutrition and funding for village health posts, which has become community-based health initiatives.

“BOK is intended to support the Minimum Standard Services (SPM) in the process of speeding up the Millenium Development Goal’s target,” said Endang.

Un-tested puskesmas will still be allocated a Rp. 10 million budget per year. Today, there are 8200 puskesmas in all of Indonesia. She plans to allocate Rp. 10 million every month for 8500 puskesmas by 2011.

Besides the BOK distribution, the Heath Department will also increase the government-sponsored community health insurance (Jamkesmas) free membership to the poor.

The Health Department’s public communication chief, Lily Sulistyowati said that the Jamkesmas membership was one of the Health Department ‘s 100 days priority program and will be extended to three new groups, which are the poor victims of disasters, prison inmates and poor people living in public institutions.

‘In order provide health services to those three groups, an agreement has been signed between the Health Minister, the Justice and Rights Minister and the Social Welfare Minister,” said Lily.

BERNADA RURIT

I have no idea what to post today, so I'm updating an old post from a couple of years ago. I was tagged to write 8 things about things about myself. So here it is.

8 Things about Me
1. I was born at home. Not too peculiar, but considering it was in southern West Virginia in the '50s, it's a bit of a tale. My mother did not go to a doctor throughout her entire pregnancy with me. In spite of that, I was born as a healthy nine-pound baby. A midwife named Garnett Farley delivered me. I was born in my parents’ bed. After I was born, my father took me to the “company store” and weighed me on the meat scale. How’s that for a beginning in life? Hmmm. Maybe it was indication of how I would spend my life. On a scale. And in the vicinity of food.

2. You know how people can do that “Live Long and Prosper” thing with their fingers? Well, I can do that with my toes. Now there’s a skill that will come in handy in the future.

3. I did not start college until I was 27 years old. And then I paid my own way through school. It was so exciting buying my books and getting off to school. There is no way I could go back to school now. I’ve tried, but it’s just too much. My hat is off to anyone who could.

4. I’m completely creeped out by root cellars. Those dirt walls and the roots sticking out—can you tell I grew up in the country? Anyway, one of my worst nightmares is being locked in one.

5. I’ve traveled to more than 25 U.S. states, including Vermont, Delaware, New York, New Hampshire, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Wyoming, Colorado, California, Utah, Missouri, Nevada, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. I can’t remember if there were any others or not. Most of my travels have been for work, but some for pleasure. I also have been to Canada and Mexico. Woo hoo.

6. I was bitten by a six-foot black snake when I was 18 months old. And I can remember it as if it had happened yesterday. It happened in my grandparents’ front yard. I saw the snake, and thought it was a rope. I wondered about it a little bit, and then I went up and kicked it. The snake bit me on my right knee. I started screaming. My grandfather, who had been in the tub, came running out of his house wrapped in a towel. My mother came screaming from some other direction—armed with a hoe. The snake didn’t live another five minutes. Don’t mess with a child when its mother is nearby. Now, I kind of feel sorry for the snake. But, needless to say, the experience left me scared to death of snakes. One time, I completely froze in my tracks, I couldn’t move, because one of those little green garden snakes slithered across my path.

7. I prefer Diet Coke to Diet Pepsi any day of the week. I don’t think I have to say anything more than that.

8. I have had trouble sleeping ever since I was born. My mother told me that when I was baby, the only way I could go to sleep was to put my head under her arm. Now, I can’t sleep if I’m even slightly stimulated. But I love to dream. I have tried to remember my dreams over the years. I think that dreaming helps me make sense of my life. The book, Our Dreaming Mind, by Robert Van de Castle is one of my favorites.

And that’s it for my list. Nothing great. I hope you all enjoyed learning a little more about me.

dreams and dreaming, weight loss, body fat

Following on from my last post about Niacin (vitamin B3 ), and how it helped lower my blood cholesterol and thus helping to improve my health the natural way without the aid of drugs and all its side effects.

I would now use Niacin 100mg all of the time, however I was not able to buy Niacin on its own this time, so I decided to take a good mega dose of vitamin B complex, this is a great natural supplement and has many health benefits and includes Niacin 100mg.

Each tablet, which is time released contains 100mg of Thiamine (vitamin B1). Thiamine promotes a feeling of optimism, helps overcome stress, depression, anxiety and poor memory. It stabilizes appetite and maintains normal heart function. Doctors will sometimes give Thiamine to alcoholics as all Thiamine is flushed out of the body.

Riboflavin (vitamin B2) 100mg is also in the complex, it is vital for metabolism and energy production.

Niacin (vitamin B3) we have already talked about, and apart from helping lower cholesterol it improves blood circulation preventing blood clots and heart attacks.

Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) helps to maintain healthy blood sugar levels and increase energy, particularly in stressful situations.

Vitamin B6 100mg has many uses, it promotes muscle energy by releasing stored sugar from the liver, it controls obesity, lowers cholesterol and prevents atherosclerosis. It also also inhibits the release of histamine and is therefore beneficial to asthmatics, maintains a correct acid-alkaline ratio and assists the function of nerves. In pregnancy it prevents morning sickness. In higher doses of 200mg per day it can be useful in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome and epileptic seizures. Women taking the pill should also consider taking vitamin B6.

Vitamin B12 100mg can be used to treat pernicious anaemia, fatigue, depression, Alzheimer's disease, asthma, multiple sclerosis, hearing loss and AIDS.

Folic acid (see earlier post).

Biotin is useful in the treatment of hair loss, greying, and scalp conditions, it can also alleviate eczema and dermatitis.

Choline is vital for learning and memory, it reduces cholesterol, and maintains a healthy liver, kidneys and nerves.

Inositol produces a calming effect on the body. It also can lower cholesterol, maintains a healthy skin, and lower high oestrogen levels that can lead to breast lumps.

So vitamin B complex, for me is a complete protection for my health.

I have accidentally shaved off my sideburns.

To be strictly accurate, I only accidentally shaved off one sideburn - to accidentally do both would have been either particularly careless or astonishingly ambidextrous - but when you are looking in horror at your unfamiliar, unsymmetrical reflection in the mirror, turning your face slowly from side to side, mumbling "sideburn... no sideburn... sideburn... no sideburn", the second sideburn's fate is pretty much sealed, and no amount of thinking that you can glue the first sideburn back on with Pritt stick is going to help it. The second sideburn has the life expectancy of a mayfly that has recently taken up smoking, and has also just wandered into a pub full of Millwall supporters wearing a T-shirt that states "I dislike Millwall supporters". It had to go.

The initial mistake was a simple mix-up with the clippers. My sideburns, which I have had since 1991, had been getting a bit bushy since my last haircut was before Christmas, so I decided to do what I usually do and use the clippers to trim them a bit closer so I could postpone getting a haircut and thus save myself £6. I made one big swoop with the clippers right up my right cheek, and as I looked at the unusually large amount of hair that the clippers now seemed to be covered in, my first thought was "That is an unusually large amount of hair - my sideburns must have been a bit longer than I realised", followed quickly by a second thought of "OH MY GOD WHERE IS THE BLACK PLASTIC COMBY PRONGY THING THAT IS USUALLY ATTACHED TO THE CLIPPERS TO REGULATE THE HAIR CUTTING LENGTH IT MUST HAVE FALLEN OFF IN THE WARDROBE!!!"

So I now have one of those haircuts that boys had in the 1940s where the hair is longish on top, and shaved down to skin at the sides.

What is worse is that nobody, not even my girlfriend (whose regular and expensive haircuts I take great care to remember about and comment on), has noticed.

Jakarta Globe, January 29, 2010

Authorities are puzzling over the case of a mentally impaired boy in North Jakarta who is said to have reappeared after being buried two years ago.

Bunyamin, 70, said his son, Salim, died in September 2008 due to acute lung disease. Salim, 18, was buried at Budi Darma Cemetery in Cakung, North Jakarta. Friends and family were present at the funeral.

But Salim allegedly came to his cousin Atin's house, which is near their own, on Wednesday night. Atin took the boy to see his family.

“He came around 11 p.m. on Wednesday night with Atin. I was so shocked. Salim hugged me and called me “Bapak.” He cried in my arms,” Bunyamin told Kompas.com on Thursday.

Bunyamin was convinced that the boy was his son.

“His face hasn't changed. I remembered the scar on his arm but he looks shorter than he was two years ago,” said Bunyamin.

His wife, Kasinah, 60, also believed that their son had come back from death.

“This is my son. He's still the same as I remember. He called me mother last night,” said Kasinah.

According to the family, Salim was mentally challenged from a young age. He could not speak very well and often used sign language.

News of the puzzling event spread fast, and crowds of curious people have come to Bunyamin's house.

On Thursday evening, Tanjung Priok Police came to Bunyamin's house and took Salim to the police station for identification.

It is not unknown for people to be declared dead prematurely. Earlier this month a Chinese man's family found him still alive in his coffin at a mortuary. Authorities theorized the man's heart had stopped beating at the scene of his motorcycle crash but started beating again after he was declared dead.

Related Article:

Mystery of ‘Back From the Grave’ Jakarta Man Solved

Antara News, Friday, January 29, 2010 13:12 WIB

Sukadana, Lampung Province (ANTARA News) - Bird flu (Avian Influenza or the H5N1) virus has stricken three sub districts in East Lampung District, killing at least 1,176 chickens.

"In the current rainy season, chickens are prone to various diseases, including bird flu," Dewanto, head of the East Lampung district animal health unit, said here on Friday.

Some 1,176 chickens had died in seven villages since early January 2010, while in 2009 there had been only 708 dead chickens in 11 villages.

The affected villages include Sukadana, Purbolinggo, and Marga Tiga, East Lampung.

Tempo Interactive, Thursday, 28 January, 2010 | 15:08 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The Coordinating Department for People’s Welfare will establish an SMS center.

The Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare Agung Laksono said that the SMS Center will receive people’s complaints, starting from problems relating to the distribution of rice for the poor, plague, natural disaster up to human trading.

“In the future, foreign aid would no longer be the one coming earlier during disasters,” Agung said in Jakarta yesterday.

Therefore, he said, government performance in handling people’s problem will be more swift and responsive.

”The SMS center should operate this month,” he said.

FEBRIYAN

When I was a kid, I’d jump on a horse by grabbing its mane and throwing my legs over its back, and we’d run through a field or down a dirt road with no tethers. No saddle,  no bridle. Just me, the horse, the wind, and oh-my-god freedom.

Every year, 300,000 newcomers pour into Jakarta in search of new opportunities. Most will end up in one of the cities many slums. Although they are among the nation's poorest, these unwanted residents pay more than the rich for basic necessities like clean water, sanitation and solid waste removal.

This is the hidden reality of Asia's rapid industrialisation, which has condemned more than 28 million Indonesians - including around one third of Jakarta's 13 million residents - to life in the slums.

In East Jakarta, 70,000 makeshift shelters housing more than 200,000 people huddle on the banks of the Ciliwung River. Year after year these residents battle not only poverty, malnutrition and disease, but also the annual floods of one of the city's most polluted rivers.

 I got an award. It's nice to be recognized among fellow bloggers. This award came from Donna C. at Journey of an Emotional Eater. Thank you, Donna.

The idea of this award is for me to name 10 things that make happy and then pass the award to 10 other people. I think I can do that.

1. My dogs cure loneliness and put a smile on my face everyday. Although they often frustrate me—I wish they would come when I call them. I mean, really, do you know when to come in out of rain?—I love them and wouldn't know what to do without them.
2. It makes me happy to know that other people are just as awkward and insecure about getting through life as I am. That may sound funny, but it's comforting to know that I'm not alone. We're all in this together.
3. Having friends and family I can rely on when I feel down. People who truly care about you are rare. I cherish the ones I have.
4. Good days at work. I like days that keep me busy. And I like good stress.
5. Spring days when I can garden. There's nothing like getting your hands in the dirt.
6. A good workout. Getting sweaty has many rewards, and I feel better all day.
7. Journaling about my worries and woes. Getting it out is a relief.
8. Playing piano because all can I think about is playing the piano.
9. Drawing for the same reasons.
10. The laughter of children. I don't think I need say more about that.

And now for 10 people to whom I shall pass this award:

1. Journey Beyond Survival
2. An aunt, a niece, a hundred pounds
3. A Life Change: My Journey to Happiness
4. Paula Want a Cracker
5. Amberly's Weight Loss Journey
6. Blueraspberry
7. A Walk in the Park
8. Only 260 to Go
9. Lose to Gain
10. PJs and Pounds

Congratulations folks and thank you for supporting me.

Jakarta Globe

An Indonesian worker was brutally murdered in Selangor, Malaysia on Tuesday in what police believe was a personal conflict with a fellow Indonesian.

Mohammad Said’s brother found him dead with his throat cut at a construction site in Bandar Sri Damansara, Selangor, according to Malaysia’s Berita Harian newspaper.

Both Said and his brother, Tamaji Ali, worked at the construction site. According to Ali, his brother did not come home after working on Monday. Upon arriving at work on Tuesday morning, Ali saw traces of blood he thought were from an animal. Instead, the blood led him to his brother’s body.

Police are looking for the victim’s friend, another Indonesian worker, who has been missing since Monday. Petaling Jaya Police Chief Arjunaidi Mohamed said the murder was believed to be motivated by a personal conflict. The suspect is thought to be hiding nearby. He cannot flee Malaysia because police have confiscated his passport from his room, the chief said.

This past Saturday, friends of ours threw a party for their daughter, who just had her first birthday (I had to miss it because I went to Syracuse, New York to pick up a dress but that's a story for another post). In lieu of more traditional birthday presents, they asked that friends and family bring something to put in a "time capsule" that their daughter would open on her 13th birthday.

I think this is a fabulous idea.

My oldest son, who is 11 years old, wrote the following letter to accompany our gift. With his permission, I share it (un-edited) now with you:

Dear F.,

If you are reading this, we presume you are 13 years of age. The other main option is that you peeked, and that you do not truly deserve to keep this gift. On the other hand, you probably feel you were stiffed present-wise, since all the gifts you received at the age of one were hidden from you until now, countless adults taking advantage of your infanthood because they're your "friends and family."

Well, it's finally paid off. If you are reading this letter, your gift is either in front of you or being handled by your parents, who are about middle-aged by now. Our present is a contribution to the "time capsule" your parents constructed 12 years ago, when you looked more like a little pink thing than a real person. We chose to put comic books in your capsule.

The first item in this package is a graphic novel entitled "Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life." It is intended to be read over and over again, or at least once if you don't like it. It is a favourite in my family, and I think you will enjoy it, too.

Second, you will find an issue of "PVP", which stands for "Player Versus Player." This is a reference to video games. In this comic, you will find countless references to the pop culture and technology of 2010. It's also pretty darn funny.

Finally, you will find a copy of the first issue of "Siege." I'm not sure what it's about, but what I do know is that it is a massive crossover event in comics. By the time you receive this, it might be worth something. Keep it in good condition.

Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Your friends, the K-Ws.

Celebrity Alicia Silverstone, age 33, is a vegan and has written a book about her way of eating; The Kind Diet.

Here's the description on Amazon;

In The Kind Diet, actress, activist, and committed conservationist Alicia Silverstone shares the insights that encouraged her to swear off meat and dairy forever, and outlines the spectacular benefits of adopting a plant-based diet, from effortless weight loss to clear skin, off-the-chart energy, and smooth digestion. She explains how meat, fish, milk, and cheese—the very foods we’ve been taught to regard as the cornerstone of good nutrition—are actually the culprits behind escalating rates of disease and the cause of dire, potentially permanent damage to our ecology.

Yet going meat- and dairy-free doesn’t mean suffering deprivation; to the contrary, The Kind Diet introduces irresistibly delicious food that satisfies on every level—it even includes amazing desserts to keep the most stubborn sweet tooth happy. Alicia also addresses the nutritional concerns faced by many who are new to a plant-based diet, and shows how to cover every nutritional base, from protein to calcium and beyond.

Alicia knows that changing life-long dietary habits is a process, and that each person progresses at a different pace. For that reason, The Kind Diet encompasses 3 separate levels, from Flirting to Superhero. Flirts learn to dip a toe into the vegan pool, reducing their meat-eating and swapping out a few key foods for plant-based substitutes to see quickly how even small changes can reap big results. Vegans get to experience the life-altering effects of forgoing animal-products entirely, while still enjoying many convenience foods and meat substitutes in addition to the wonderful grains, vegetables and fruits that form the core of that diet. True enlightenment comes with the Superhero program, based on the principles of macrobiotics and built on a foundation of whole grains, vegetables, and other yummy foods that Alicia describes in detail.

Whether your goal is to drop a few pounds, boost your energy and metabolism, or simply save the world, Alicia provides the encouragement, the information, and the tools you need to make the transition to a plant-based diet deliciously empowering.

See the video below for an intro by Alicia;



This second video gives more detailed information about her book;