2011

Think Quote, Year 01, Day 093

Posted by Aldie at 2:04 PM | 0 comments

Be all you can be.
(US Army)

Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
(Thomas Jefferson)

Words may show a man's wit but actions his meaning.
(Benjamin Franklin)

A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends.
(Baltasar Gracian)
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Bodies of 1,000 dead in Japan too toxic to handle

Posted by Aldie at 8:42 AM | 0 comments

Antara News, Sat, April 2 2011

Related News

Moscow (ANTARA News/RIA Novosti-OANA) - The Japanese authorities say 1,000 dead bodies scattered around Japan`s troubled Fukushima power plant are too radioactive for emergency workers to collect, Kyodo news agency reported on Friday.

The bodies of those killed in devastating earthquake and tsunami that swept the region in mid-March were contaminated when radiation began leaking from the damaged reactors at the plant.

"After people died their bodies were exposed to high levels of radiation," a police source said.

Experts partially confirmed the information, saying they had found high radiation levels in a body found in the village of Okuma, five kilometers from the power plant.

Police warned that collecting the bodies would spread contamination outside of the evacuation zone, set at 20 kilometers.Over 11,000 people died and 16,500 are still missing from the twin disaster.

Editor: Aditia Maruli

Related Article:

Radioactive water seeps into sea from stricken nuclear plant

Sumatra on alert as bird flu comes back

Posted by Aldie at 8:10 AM | 0 comments

Antara News, Fardah, Sat, April 2 2011

Related News

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The sudden death of thousands of chickens has been reported in several cities on Sumatra Island over the past several months.

Local health authorities have confirmed that most of the chickens had died of bird flu or avian influenza (H5N1).

The poultry deaths due to bird flu have occurred among other things in the Sumatran provinces of West Sumatra, Bengkulu, Jambi and Bangka Belitung.

In Padang, West Sumatra, the M Jamil General Hospital had treated a total of 27 patients suspected of being infected with the bird flu virus since January 2011.

Padang is the worst-affected city in West Sumatra, as 24 of the total 27 patients are residents of the city, according to Gustavianof, a spokesman of the M Jamil Public Hospital.

"While patients from outside Padang, include one from Bukittinggi, one from Pesisir Selatan District, and another from Dharmasraya," he said in Padang, Thursday (March 31).

Up to Thursday, two patients were still undergoing intensive treatment at the hospital.

The hospital has taken blood samples from the two patients and sent them to the laboratory of the Jakarta-based health ministry`s Health Development and Research Agency (Balitbangkes), to confirm whether they are negative or positive of bird flu virus infection.

In 2009, the M Jamil Public hospital had treated nine bird flu suspect cases, and seven cases in 2010, including one patient that had died while being treated in the hospital.

A total of 1,866 chickens were dead in Payakumbuh city, West Sumatra Province recently.

West Sumatra has prepared two hospitals, including M Jamil Public Hospital, to give free-of-charge medical treatment to patients suspected of having been infected by the H5N1 virus.

As H5N1 virus cases have been reported in many regions in Bengkulu Province, also on Sumatra Island, the province has declared that the province is on alert of bird flu.

"Although the number of bird flu cases does not increase, Bengkulu is still cautious of bird flu, and we ask the local residents to monitor their poultry," Emran Kuswadi, Coordinator of Local Disease Control Center (LDCC), said in Bengkulu, last Tuesday (29/3).

Up to now, a total of 1,881 chickens had been killed by the bird flu virus in Bengkulu, according to Emran.

Seven districts - Bengkulu, Seluma, Lebong, Bengkulu Tengah, Kepahiang, Kaur and Rejang Lebong - have been particularly declared bird flu alert.

The worst bird flu-affected district is Seluma where 1,175 chickens died of the H5N1 virus at two sub districts, he said.

In Jambi, bird flu has reportedly killed several hundred chickens in Kerinci District, Jambi Kota, and Jambi Luar Kota neighborhoods.

The virus has infected a number of chickens in four villages of Kota Jambi subdistrict and had spread to Pijoan village, Jambi Luar Kota subdistrict.

Head of Muarojambi district`s veterinarian office Paruhuman Lubis said, "We have checked that there are chickens that suddenly died but we cannot confirm yet whether they are infected by the (bird flu) virus or not."

In Bangka Belitung (Babel) Province, at least 484 chickens had died during January and February 2011. Junaidy of the local animal husbandry office, confirmed in Pangkalpinang, that they had been infected with bird flu virus.

Despite the reports of bird flu breakout in some parts of Sumatra, there are no reports of confirmed cases of human infection with bird flu virus or fatalities on the island this year.

In fact, the health ministry recently announced a confirmed case of human infection with bird flu virus on Java Island.

The case concerned a 28 year old female from Gunung Kidul district, Yogyakarta Province. She developed symptoms on 1 March, was admitted to a health care facility on 6 March and referred to a hospital on 11 March. She died on 14 March, according to the Avian Influenza Update on the official website of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Indonesia has been infected by bird flu since 2005, but the situation has been relatively under control over the past few years.

Of the total 176 cases confirmed to date in Indonesia, 145 have been fatal, according to WHO.

According to the WHO fact sheet, Avian influenza (AI), commonly called bird flu, is an infectious viral disease of birds. Outbreaks of AI in poultry may raise global public health concerns due to their effect on poultry populations, their potential to cause serious disease in people, and their pandemic potential.

The majority of human cases of H5N1 infection have been associated with direct or indirect contact with infected live or dead poultry. There is no evidence that the disease can be spread to people through properly cooked food. Controlling the disease in animals is the first step in decreasing risks to humans.

The Indonesian health and agriculture ministries have received helping hands from countries such as the United States and Australia in fighting the bird flu problem.

The Australian Government has set up a $22 million, four-year project to help Indonesia control the spread of bird flu.

"The news comes after two people died in West Java of bird flu, and more cases of sick birds were reported in Bali," ABC reported on March 28, 2011 .

A project called the Strategies Against Flu Emergence (SAFE) is launched by the US government in partnership Indonesia to reduce the impact of Avian Influenza (AI) on animals and humans and limit the threat of pandemic influenza in Indonesia.

"Avian influenza continues to pose a serious public health and pandemic threat for Indonesia and the world," USAID/Indonesia Mission Director Walter North said in a press release issued by the US embassy in Jakarta Friday (April 1).

The SAFE project will collaborate with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and WHO to promote early detection and healthier behavior in AI high-risk districts.

Editor: Aditia Maruli

Calls to stop mistreating autistic children in Indonesia

Posted by Aldie at 7:43 AM | 0 comments

Antara News, Rahmad Nasution, Sat, April 2 2011

"The very basic treatment of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder is sincere care and love. Please give them both sincere care and true love"

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - World Autism Day was commemorated in various cities in Indonesia on Saturday with a common message for better care and treatment of children with the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Hundreds of people, including parents with autistic children and teenagers, jogged and walked together in cities like the national capital city Jakarta, Medan (North Sumatra) and Magelang (Central Java).

What they expected from the commemoration was that misunderstanding and misleading perception of children with the ASD in Indonesia put to an end.

Acting North Sumatra Governor Gatot Pujo Nugroho, who joined the commemoration of World Autism Day in Medan, underlined the importance of good care for those with autism as their best remedy.

"The very basic treatment of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder is sincere care and love. Please give them both sincere care and true love," Nugroho said.

The children with ASD in Indonesia are still not understood enough and even bullied by their peers and adult people in their neighborhood and, much worse than that, also by those running regular schools.

Despite the fact that autism has nothing to do with a disease, the children with ASD are frequently regarded as "insane" people by certain people in the society due to their ignorance and poor knowledge about them.

Irma, whose kid named Dava is autistic, urged the people-at large to change their mindset about children with ASD. Instead, they need to have a deeper empathy and care for the "special children", she said.

A day before World Autism Day, Irma and some other parents with autistic children gathered at a luxurious restaurant in Central Jakarta along with Indonesia`s outstanding actress and film producer, Christine Hakim, for launching a documentary film on children with ASD entitled "Love Me As I Am".

Those attending the launching of this 45-minute-long film were the parents of 12-year-old Emilio, whose paintings were highly praised by collectors, and Michael Anthony, a pianist.

Christine Hakim said the docudrama featuring the real life and great potentials of the children and teenagers with ASD in greater Jakarta was expected to start changing the society members` misunderstanding about them.

"Until this time, the image of children with ASD remains unfairly negative. Due to poor knowledge and misunderstanding, their families also like denying the reality of life. This docudrama is expected to change the people`s assumption on children with ASD," she said.

This UNESCO goodwill ambassador said autism was not a sort of ailment or mental disorder as psychologists and medical scientists thought. Instead, the children with ASD have extraordinary cognitive potentials.

With their given potentials, those children could bring good things not only for themselves, their families, and their neighborhoods but also for their country if they were treated and educated properly, Christine Hakim said.

"With this documentary film, we hope there will be no more children with ASD who are isolated and regular schools which reject them. Education is the rights of all children," she said.

Sharing Christine Hakim`s views, the film producer, Dr.Ir.Ricky Avenzora, M.Sc.F, said the children with ASD who played in the film were indeed the "hope" of Indonesia because each of them had great cognitive potentials.

"Albert Einstein himself (one of the world`s greatest scientists-ed) is an autistic person," he said, adding that this docudrama would officially be shown to public on a TV station when Indonesians commemorated the national education day on May 2, 2011.

The high prevalence of children with ASD in Indonesia could bring excellent things for the nation if their great cognitive potentials were properly handled, he said.

As part of the efforts to create a proper understanding about and new awareness of children with ASD in the society, Ricky Avenzora said the film would be shown at a number of leading universities in different Indonesian cities.

"Besides showing the film, as part of our roadshows, we also plan to hold seminars and trainings for teachers and parents, and create caring community for those with ASD in such targeted cities as Medan, Padang, Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta, and Makassar," he said.

Through the roadshows, the campus community members in Indonesia were expected to pay more serious attention to academic studies on children with ASD and start building collaborative research activities among themselves, he said.

Gading Pluit Hospital`s Consultant Neurologist Andreas Harry who financially supported this docudrama said the film was a chance to unite a new perception of the children with ASD.

Due to the scientific quality of its content, he said he was optimistic that the film was not only significant for Indonesia but also the world community members.

Changing the public misunderstanding about autistic children and creating a new awareness of the great cognitive potentials of those "special children" is not an easy work.

But, as Christine Hakim believes, with persistence and massive efforts of all stakeholders in Indonesia, the children with ASD in the country can be treated as they should be. They have the rights to be "loved as they are"!.

Editor: Aditia Maruli

Think Quote, Year 01, Day 092

Posted by Aldie at 2:04 PM | 0 comments

You may delay, but time will not.
(Benjamin Franklin)

Welcome to the 77th and last Oscars.
(Chris Rock)

I had never done animation, so I thought it would be cool to try something different
(Selena Gomez)
Read more »

questions for candidates

Posted by Aldie at 11:34 AM | 0 comments

From the Canadian Breast Cancer Network: Questions to ask your local candidates during the election campaign

Question 1: The Financial Impact of Breast Cancer

In May 2010, the Canadian Breast Cancer Network released the research report entitled Breast Cancer: Economic Impact & Labour Force Re-Entry, which firmly positioned breast cancer as an economic as well as a healthcare issue.

The economic impact of breast cancer is significant, and in many cases devastating for patients and their families. 80% of respondents experienced an economic impact following their diagnosis, often with distressing long-term financial consequences.


Some report findings:
Average decline in household income was $12,000 or 10% of family income
44% of respondents used savings, while 27% took on debt
One fifth of respondents returned to work before they were ready because of financial pressure
Those who had chemotherapy had a greater loss of household income and were 49% more likely to take longer than 16 weeks off work
Survey respondents reported that the average duration of their breast cancer treatment was 38 weeks, and two-thirds of the respondents took 16 weeks or more off from work. Because Employment Insurance Sickness Benefits last for a maximum of 15 weeks, there was an average gap of 23 weeks during treatment without coverage.

If elected, will your government:

A. Lengthen Employment Insurance Sickness Benefits for Canadians undergoing treatment for breast and other cancers as well as other illnesses and chronic diseases that require long periods of treatment so that no one who is ill is penalized by the current limit of 15 weeks of sickness benefits?

B. Cancel the two-week waiting period for EI Sickness Benefits so that sick Canadians are not penalized?


C. Immediately extend the Employment Insurance Compassionate Care Benefit to cover family caregivers providing care to those with breast cancer, other cancers and other long-term conditions?
a. Increase the benefit to 75% of workers' earnings?
b. Increase the benefit period to a maximum of 52 weeks?
c. Allow partial weeks of compassionate care leave over a longer period?
d. Expand the eligibility criteria beyond imminent death within 26 weeks?


Question 2: Drug Approval Process in Canada

The drug approval process in Canada is lengthy and complex. Currently the performance targets as outlined on the Health Canada website is 300 days for "non-priority" drugs and 180 days for "priority" drugs.

Once drugs are approved by Health Canada, cancer drugs pass through the Pan-Canadian Oncology Drug Review (pCODR), formally the Joint Oncology Drug Review (JODR).This process can take up to a year for recommendation to be made. Provinces and territories may then either confirm or disagree with pCODR's recommendations, often resulting in further significant delays and an uneven patchwork of drug coverage across Canada.

Cancer patients in Canada face unduly long waits for much-needed drugs, and medications available in one province or territory may not be available in another. But when it comes to cancer treatment, especially for advanced or metastatic cancer, time is of the essence.

If elected, how will your government:


A. Ensure that the approval processes for new treatments are shortened to permit timely access to new treatments for those who need them

B. Ensure that no cancer patient in Canada goes without internationally recognized gold standard treatments


Question 3: Wait Times

The Canadian Breast Cancer Network's 2008 Breast Cancer Wait Times in Canada Report Card showed that not all Canadian women are receiving equal access to breast cancer treatment. The project was undertaken in order to gather information about what happens across Canada in terms of wait times in four important areas: from abnormal screen to diagnosis, from diagnosis to surgery, time to radiation, time to chemotherapy.

We found some outstanding examples of best practices and much evidence that many jurisdictions across the country are working on innovative solutions to the wait time issue. However, the most disconcerting finding was that there are no national benchmarks for wait times and no standards for wait time reporting systems across the continuum of care. The data reported are calculated differently across jurisdictions making it impossible to compare wait times. This has not changed since 2008.

In the absence of comprehensive and consistent wait times data, there is no certainty that people diagnosed with breast cancer are receiving optimal care.

This is a complex issue. There needs to be national benchmarks for maximum wait times for diagnosis and treatment. Electronic health records must include consistent reporting of wait times across jurisdiction. Best practices must be shared and implemented across the country. Access to timely cancer care cannot depend upon ones postal code.

If elected, how will your government:


A) Provide the infrastructure necessary to ensure comprehensive and consistent standards for wait time reporting for breast cancer diagnosis and treatment across Canada

B) Ensure that national benchmarks are established for wait times associated with surgery and chemotherapy

C) Ensure the adoption of electronic health records


Join our survivor advocate campaign and make canada's decision makers aware of the issues that are important to you. Contact khurley@cbcn.ca for more information on how a little bit of your time can make a big impact.

Google to Acquire Blogger

Posted by Aldie at 8:15 AM | 0 comments

Update: This was an April Fool's post. The acquisition was in 2003 :-)
--
Posted by Brett Wiltshire, Blogger CEO
[Cross-post from google.blogspot.com]

This morning we’re beyond thrilled to announce that Blogger has signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by Google, the Internet search company. This is exciting news not only for all of us on the Blogger team, but for our users, our partners, and most importantly -- the blogosphere itself.

Understandably, you probably have lots of questions about what this means for Blogger and Blogger users. Below, we've put together some initial answers to many of the biggest questions. More info will be available as we figure it out. Thanks for your support as we transfer into this next exciting phase.

Q: Why did Blogger sell to Google?
A: Well, on the surface, it may look obvious: A company of Google's size could give Blogger the resources we needed to do things better, faster, bigger. It's been a long eleven+ years since we started the company, and not all of them were very fun. We had been making serious progress over the last year or so, but bootstrapping (growing without funding) is always a slow process, and we were a long way from where we wanted to be. We wanted to offer a better service. And with Google, it wasn't just their size, of course. They had clearly done an incredible job building their technology and business, and we'd been big fans.

However, that doesn't mean it was an easy decision. We'd seen many small companies doing interesting things die (or at least become uninteresting) after getting acquired. It was only after becoming convinced that: a) There were sensible, cool, powerful things we could do on the technology/product side with Google that we couldn't do otherwise; and b) It was a good company, run by people we liked, who wanted the same things we did (i.e., they wouldn't screw up Blogger or make our lives miserable).

We became convinced both of these were the case rather quickly after thinking about the product side and talking to lots of Googlers. Also, Google liked our logo. And we liked their food.

Q: Will Blogger go away?
A: Nope. Blogger is going to maintain its branding and services. While we may integrate with Google in certain areas there will always be a Blogger.

Q: What does the acquisition mean to Blogger users?
A: Greater reliability, new innovative products and a whole lot more that we aren't ready to share quite yet (truth is, we're still figuring a lot of it out). Right now, we're mostly bolstering up our hardware -- making things faster and more reliable -- and getting settled. Next, we're going to be working on some killer ideas we've been wanting to implement for years. It'll be fun.

Q: Will there be any changes to my account?
A: Not right now but if anything does change we will notify you ahead of time, as we've done in the past.

Q: Will there be any changes to the Blogger products?
A: We will be making some changes in our product line. We've been working on a new version of Blogger for some time now that will be coming out soon. We'll tell you more as soon as we know.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: We are building a nuclear powered... Wait, you almost had us. We aren't telling, yet! But we will have more in a few weeks.

Q: Does this mean my blog will rank higher in Google search results?
A: Nope. It does mean your blog might be stored physically closer to Google but that's about it. The people at Google have done a great job over the years making sure their search results are honest and objective and there's no reason they would change that policy for Blogger or anyone else.

Q: What will happen to all the nice kids that work on Blogger?
A: We’ll still be working on Blogger and making it better.

Q: Are you still as handsome as ever?
A:

A New Direction

Posted by Aldie at 1:00 AM | 0 comments

I was sitting in my kitchen three weeks ago and I suddenly had an overwhelming urge to eat raw fruit. I ate four bananas, two apples and a grapefruit for dinner, and nothing else. I couldn't believe how great I felt! I sang a happy song and gave everyone hugs and kisses. Since I was out of fruit, the next morning I rushed to the grocery store and bought 10 pounds of bananas, 5 pounds of apples, a dozen oranges and various other fruit. Ever since then, I've been eating nothing but raw fruit and loving it!

Over the course of the last three weeks, I've been experimenting with adding back small portions of meat and dairy, which inevitably make me feel sick. I can just feel them clogging my digestive system and arteries. I've also tried cooking the fruit, which just makes it taste devitalized and doesn't give me the same energy-- maybe it's killing the enzymes.

So that's why I've decided to eat a raw vegan fruitarian diet from now on. Chimpanzees eat mostly raw fruit, and look at how strong they are! I hope that by eating enough fruit, I'll be able to climb trees better eventually. I'm starting with chin-ups.

I'm also changing the name of this blog to Raw Fruit Source to reflect my new dietary philosophy.

April fool's!

Think Quote, Year 01, Day 091

Posted by Aldie at 2:03 PM | 0 comments

Begin with the end in mind.
(Stephen Covey)

You are as safe with me as you would be in the Bank of England.
(Robert Maxwell)

If fifty million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing.
(Anatole France)
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i'll take it.

Posted by Aldie at 6:41 AM | 0 comments

No nausea.

No bad taste in my mouth.

No rage or sadness.

No aches and pains.

I'm just very, very tired.

I'm not complaining.

Fresh new perspectives for your blog

Posted by Aldie at 6:03 AM | 0 comments

Today we’re previewing five new dynamic templates in Blogger that you’ll soon be able to customize and use for your blog. These new views use the latest in web technology, including AJAX, HTML5 and CSS3, to deliver a host of benefits to you and your readers:

Infinite scrolling: read more posts without having to reload or click to a second page
New layouts: different views suited to different types of blogs
Speed: download images as you view them, not all at once in advance
Interactivity: there are now more ways to experience and engage with blog content

Click on any of these links to take the new dynamic views for a spin on a few of our favorite blogs: Flipcard, Mosaic, Sidebar, Snapshot and Timeslide.

Flipcard

Snapshot

Mosaic

To try these views on your own blog, simply add “/view” to the end of the blog URL—for example, http://buzz.blogspot.com/view. These new views are available on all public Blogger blogs with feeds fully enabled—to learn more, including how to disable these views for your blog if you wish, please see our help center article.

We’re previewing these templates early on so we can incorporate your feedback for a wider launch soon. At that time you’ll be able to customize these templates and select one for your blog. Please let us know what you think!

Antin Harasymiv, Software Engineer, Blogger

Dr. Kevin Patterson on Western Diets and Health

Posted by Aldie at 7:00 PM | 0 comments

A few readers have pointed me to an interesting NPR interview with the Canadian physician Kevin Patterson (link). He describes his medical work in Afghanistan and the Canadian arctic treating cultures with various degrees of industrialization. He discusses the "epidemiological transition", the idea that cultures experience predictable changes in their health as they go from hunter-gatherer, to agricultural, to industrial. I think he has an uncommonly good perspective on the effects of industrialization on human health, which tends to be true of people who have witnessed the effects of the industrial diet and lifestyle on diverse cultures.

A central concept behind my thinking is that it's possible to benefit simultaneously from both:

The sanitation, medical technology, safety technology, law enforcement and lower warfare-related mortality that have increased our life expectancy dramatically relative to our distant ancestors.

The very low incidence of obesity, diabetes, coronary heart disease and other non-infectious chronic diseases afforded by a diet and lifestyle roughly consistent with our non-industrial heritage.

But it requires discipline, because going with the flow means becoming unhealthy.

third row from the top, second from the right

Posted by Aldie at 6:26 PM | 0 comments

"gleeBE the Musical is the story of a group of talented, ambitious young people vying to get into the fictitious Arts Sanctuary school in the Glebe. GNAG’s spring theatre production, tells the story of their quest for this all-too-often elusive goal."

(Note: The Glebe is a neighbourhood in Ottawa, Ontario).

Think Quote, Year 01, Day 090

Posted by Aldie at 2:04 PM | 0 comments

Some people procrastinate so much that all they can do is run around like firefighters all day putting out fires that should not have gotten started in the first place.
(Nido Qubein)
Read more »

A DVD Giveaway Bonanza!

Posted by Aldie at 1:38 PM | 0 comments

It’s always hard to know how the written word will be interpreted. In my last blog (see Monday’s “Unfinished Business”), I sounded way more down that I actually am. Thank you so much for your emails and concern. I really am OK! Life is good, but sometimes it’s good because of a good cry and some introspection, you know? Anyway, thanks for having my back. I really am doing well.

Now, on to some DVD giveaways. You can throw your name in the hat for any of them by leaving a comment or sending an email to lynn.haraldson@yahoo.com. I’ll draw the winners’ names on Saturday (April 2).

First up is my own copy of Leslie Sansone’s “Walk Away the Pounds Express: Walk Strong.” I love the concept of this video, but alas, my knees do not. I am an avid Walk Away the Pounds fan, but this one is difficult for me because it incorporates squats and lunges – something my poor arthritic knees can’t handle. But…for those of you who can do lunges and squats (or have the desire to find out if you can), this DVD is a comfortable way to integrate strength training into your cardio routine.

You’ll need a Thera-band or some other stretch band to do the workout (I broke the one that came with the DVD…long story). Otherwise, it’s just you and 30 minutes of your time. It’s a neat little workout.

Daughter Carlene is back with a review of “10 Minute Solutions: Rapid Results Fat Burner.”

Of all the workout DVDs I’ve reviewed so far, “10 Minute Solutions: Rapid Results Fat Burner” with Cat Chiarelli is my favorite.

Long, continuous workouts intimidate me. I like the idea of a light at the end of the tunnel, especially when that tunnel only takes 10 minutes! In this DVD, there are five different workouts that you can mix and match to your needs.

1. First up are the Power Sports Drills. These remind me of my former high school track days. The moves are simple, but be prepared for many squats and lunges. In fact, squats and lunges are pretty much the overall theme of the entire DVD.

2. Next are the Extreme Intervals. This was not my favorite section, but I suppose if you enjoy interval training, than this is the section for you. Chiarelli alternates between high and low intensity moves at 15 seconds a piece.

3. Next is the Low-Impact Fat Blaster. In this section, you’ll feel like you’re in a group aerobics class. The moves are classic, but a bit dancy in some places. We all know about my battle with coordination, so this, also, was not my favorite section.

4. In the Rapid Results Kickboxing section I found my perfect workout. What I like about kickboxing is that you don’t have to be a dancer or act sexy or have any coordination whatsoever. You simply have to kick and punch. And really, who doesn’t enjoy kicking and punching things, real or imaginary?

5. The last section is Cardio Max and it is pretty fun. However, make sure you have enough space in your living room to jump and flail your arms around. I had to modify some of the moves because of my lack of space.

This is one DVD I could easily do on a regular basis. Everyone has at least 10 minutes in their day to jump around or punch and kick, right? Have fun with it!

Cassie’s turn! As you know, she birthed her third baby 7 weeks ago (baby Maelie!). Cass is back at the gym, kicking butts and taking names. She’s reviewed “Prego-Fit and Fabulous: Yoga and Pilates Fusion Ball Workout (Any ball or pillow will do!).”

I'll start by saying I would’ve loved to have this DVD while pregnant because it was very calming. It was developed by Jillian Moriarty, a physical therapist who is, herself, pregnant.

The DVD is a blend of yoga and Pilates with a lot of stretching. I would most definitely say that any fitness level would benefit from this workout, as it's not super challenging. If you're in your postpartum stage, I'd recommend it for someone who didn't previously work out regularly or is just looking for a nice, gentle way back into shape. It'd be nice for the first few weeks back into working out, while all the ligaments are lax and heavy impact is still frowned upon.

What I really liked was the flow of each move and how there was no rushing. However, there was absolutely no music, so it seemed a bit boring at times. That being said, though, it actually made for a more relaxing exercise, and for someone with three kids, I enjoyed that. A lot.

I also thought it was great that it's appropriate for all trimesters of pregnancy, which is hard to find in a DVD. It eliminates anything that'd be contraindicated, such as laying flat or ab work with twisting motions. If you're going to invest money into a workout DVD during pregnancy, this is the kind you'd want. It's annoying that you'd have to buy two or three – one for each trimester.

Like I said, it's not extremely challenging. As someone who was actually on the treadmill the day I went into labor, I wouldn't say I'd do it again unless I'm looking for a way to relax, yet still get a physical benefit.

And for you ladies who aren't even pre- or post-natal, or pregnant at all, if you have any joint ailment, this is also for you. Because this DVD caters to women who are having weakened joints and relaxed ligaments, this is also perfect for those with painful joints. Just because you hurt, doesn't mean you shouldn't have a good workout!

All in all, this was a good DVD and I'd highly recommend it.

Lynn’s turn again. Leave a comment or send an email to lynn.haraldson@yahoo.com and indicate which DVD or DVDs you’d like to enter to win. I’ll draw the winners’ names on Saturday (April 2).

And before you go, if you’re interested in trying Weight Watchers Yogurt, go to my recent review and click on the link for a $1 off coupon!

Again, thanks so much for reading. I wish I had DVDs for everyone!

FDA examines link between food dyes, hyperactivity

Posted by Aldie at 1:30 PM | 0 comments

Associated Press, By MARY CLARE JALONICK, Mar 30, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The FDA is examining the link between dyes found in everyday foods and hyperactivity in children.

At a two-day meeting starting Wednesday, an FDA advisory committee will decide whether available data links the dyes and the disorder. The panel will recommend Thursday whether the agency should further regulate dyes, do more studies on the issue or require better labeling of the additives. They could also recommend that the FDA do nothing at all.

The FDA has so far said there is no proven relationship between food dyes and hyperactivity in most children. But the agency said that for "certain susceptible children," hyperactivity and other behavioral problems may be exacerbated by food dyes and other substances in food.

Public health advocates agree that dyes do not appear to be the underlying cause of hyperactivity, but say that the effects of dyes on some children is cause enough to ban the additives. The FDA is holding the meeting in response to a 2008 petition filed by the advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest to ban Yellow 5, Red 40 and six other dyes.

Michael Jacobson, the director of that group, said at the meeting Wednesday that the only reason that dyes exist in food is to trick consumers. Some manufacturers use less dyes in the same foods sold in Europe because of concerns there over hyperactivity.

"Dyes are often used to make junk food more attractive to young children, or to simulate the presence of a healthful fruit or other natural ingredient," Jacobson said. "Dyes would not be missed in the food supply except by the dye manufacturers."

Jacobson conceded that completely banning the dyes would be difficult, urging the FDA to at least put warnings on food package labels.

Scientists and public advocates have debated the issue for more than 30 years as the use of dyes in food has steadily risen. The advisory panel is sifting through a variety of studies over the two-day meeting, some showing more of a relationship between dyes and hyperactivity than others.

The food industry is warning consumers not to rush to judgment. David Schmidt, president and CEO of International Food Information Council Foundation, a food-industry funded group, said dyes help consumers enjoy their food by maintaining or improving appearance.

Suggesting a link between the color additives and attention deficit disorder in children "could have unintended consequences, including unnecessarily frightening consumers about safe ingredients that are consumed every day," he said.

Related Article:

Ban caramel colouring in soft drinks, group urges

An image illustrating the ingredients in a soft drink

is shown on the Center for Science in the Public

Interest (CSPI) website. (Jorge Bach / CSPI)

PepsiCo cuts sugary drinks from schools worldwide

Brighton Rock'ed Photoshoot

Posted by Aldie at 8:10 AM | 0 comments

If you are going to have a dream, dream big! This has always been my approach - rightly or wrongly - and with this venture it was no different.

I had a dream - to build a community, to work alongside photographers, models, makeup artists, hairstylists and clothing suppliers on a big production, and this was a chance to do just that. Now believe me when I say that this was still a scaled-down version of my ideal which would have involved full designed sets, rotations of clothing and models, studio lighting on hand, smoke machines, milk shakes, the list goes on - but all that comes at a cost and this project was not about money. I almost made it happen without spending a penny too, with everyone giving up their time, products and skills for free*. That was no simple feat considering it was my first group photo venture - I have only been in Brighton for 3 months, know few people and am relatively unknown myself. Now don't get me wrong, I have organised many things before. In fact, that constituted most of my previous work in Spain but there the participants were captive and willing.

*The agreement is the models, stores, hairstylists and makeup artists have access to all the images shot by all the photographers to use as they wish for commercial promotions etc - fair trade ;)

We arrived bright and early to set up the dressing room and hair & makeup studio for the models. The models started to drift in, then the makeup artists and hair stylists, closely followed by the girls' clothing stylist (I had picked up the men's clothes the night before and brought them with me.) I was finally starting to see the pieces fit together and eagerly anticipated seeing it in full swing. I was mindful that the photographers were awaiting my arrival on the seafront so I headed off, leaving the girls in capable hands to get ready. I greeted the photographers and gave them the outline of the event - everyone was up for it and dying to see the models all made up, as was I. I had a good idea about how this project was to run and I'm pleased to say it went better than expected. We had a group of photographers, a team of hair stylists, a gaggle of models, a wardrobe of clothes, a riot of mods, lighting supplied by Mother Nature and a damn good time.

The models looked fantastic, not just because they were models but due to the hair, makeup and clothing which really made all the difference. As I dashed about ensuring everyone knew what they were doing and why, I realised I was missing my opportunity to shoot too. I had actually set up a whole storyboard for each genre but because I never really got into my groove, my attention being split in many different directions, I didn't manage to get many of my planned images, just grabbed shots here and there. It was a bit of a shame as I had had a whole Film Noir story planned.

Now I know some people may not believe it but I did relinquish some control - not much but a little. So I'm not a total control freak, right!? I would like to thank Emma, Linda and Ash for their assistance on the day and in advance. I would like to thank Stephen for checking I had all his questions answered before he had asked them.

The model releases, although a necessary evil, turned out not to be the nightmare I had imagined, as we could get them signed in the final minutes of shooting at each station. I have seen some amazing images and met some great folks from this venture, there just wasn't enough time to chill and chat with them all. Now that the images are being uploaded it's great to see the things I missed - different approaches to shots, different processing styles and the wealth of skills involved by each person.

One shot I was longing to get was a Quadrophenia style scooter drive-by. Unfortunately 3 scooters do not a rally make! Even though there was a large number of scooters there, they just didn't leave or arrive en masse.

So the big question is, would I do it again? Of course I would! I learnt a lot and understand the flow better now, though maybe, just maybe, I will make it smaller next time ;)

Amidst all the fun and enjoyment of the day there was also some fundraising going on for the Teenage Cancer Trust. If you missed this then please drop by the website and show your support.

Special thanks go out to the vendors:

Katherine @ STARFISH VINTAGE CLOTHING

Ryan @ DIRTY HARRY

Neil @ MODERN WORLD GALLERY

Simon @ IMMEDIATE

Ben @ TO BE WORN AGAIN

Audrey @ KATE & AUD

Hair @ THE BLUE ROOM, SEAFORD

Make up @ ELLOISE INDIA WILLETT, NATALIE LUPTON, SOPHIA FUCHS

Supporting thanks also go to:

Emma @ WRITE ME A MURDER

Linda @ LINDA JOHNSTONE PHOTOGRAPHY

Ash @ BRITISH ARMY

Huge shout out to the MODELS:

Ruth Charnock / Seda Ilter / Christine Lechner Dostal / Clair Morrow / Jemma Measor / Danielle Watton / Charlye Cooper / Bethan Moyse / Sarah Nix / Ben Elliott / Cristiano Langella / Andrew Maclean / Chris Terrell / Ryan Wreyford

And of course, to all the talented photographers who were involved. We did indeed rock Brighton! To see for yourself click the video below.

Did you know

Posted by Aldie at 3:22 AM | 0 comments

Did you know that Chrysanthemum contains natural healing properties, but only if prepared by a natural therapist, or herbalist. The Chrysanthemum contains properties which can help the heart, at this stage I am not sure if it can lower blood pressure, or help cholesterol levels.
It would seem that the leaves, flowers, and petals if prepared in the correct way can lower fevers, soothes inflammation, dilates the coronary artery disease, increasing the blood flow to the heart. Also for angina,and hypertension.