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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 060

The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.
(Bertrand Russell)

If you really want something, you'll find a way; if you don't, you'll find an excuse.
(Anonymous)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 057

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.
(Plato)

To create great armies is one thing; to lead them . . . is another.
(Sir Winston Churchill)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 058

To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance
(Oscar Wilde)

Our rewards in life will always be in exact proportion to the amount of consideration we show toward others.
(Earl Nightengale)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 059

I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
(Tim Robbins)

Experience is the best teacher.
(Proverb)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 056

I’m not going to vacuum till Sears makes one you can ride on.
(Roseanne Barr)

There is no such thing in anyone's life as an unimportant day
(Anonymous)
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There's Always a Bright Side

This morning while taking the kids to school, we got caught in a torrential downpour. The girl was freakin' out because she couldn't see.

I said, "How do you think I feel? I'm trying to drive. It's gonna flood today. I hate this."

Then from the backseat I hear in this joyous little voice exclaim, "But do you like rainbows?"

Well, who doesn't? I guess it won't be such a bad day after all. The kid was right again.

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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 055

Societies change and the arts can be a powerful way of expressing these changes. However, the arts are essential for helping individuals find their place within society and for shaping a collective cultural identity.
(REPOhistory)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 053

An army of deer led by a lion is more to be feared than an army of lions led by a deer.
(Anonymous)

Much of the best work of the world has been done against seeming impossibilities
(Anonymous)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 054

You can’t behave in a calm, rational manner. You’ve got to be out there on the lunatic fringe.
(Jack Welch)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 051

The greatest power that person possesses is the power to choose.
(J. Martin Kohe)

An answer is a stretch of road you’ve left behind you. Only a question can point forward.
(Jostein Gaardner)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 052

The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them.
(Albert Einstein)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 050

Of all the gifts bestowed by nature on human beings, hearty laughter must be close to the top.
(Norman Cousins)

The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of.
(Anonymous)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 049

Everyone can afford to give away a smile.
(Anonymous)

No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings.
(William Blake)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 047

Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.
(Oscar Wilde)

I have thought a hundred times as much about the quantum problems as I have about general relativity theory.
(Albert Einstein)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 048

Whatever thought by mind, can be achieved
(W. Clement Stone)

Imagination is more important than knowledge.
(Albert Einstein)

We are all of us failures … at least, the best of us are
(James M. Barrie)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 046

There is no education like adversity.
(Anonymous)

If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less.
(General Eric Shinseki)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 045

I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack me at once.
(Jennifer Unlimited)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 044

Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is in the doing, not the getting – in the trying, not in the triumph.
(Wynn Davis)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 042

Know thyself.
(Socrates)

A leader must be self–confident
(Omar Bradley)

Civilizations is a pyramid scheme. Tribalism is life.
(Tyler Jordan)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 043

The man who has no imagination has no wings.
(Mohammed Ali)

Whatever women must do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult.
(Charlotte Whitton)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 041

Do, or do not. There is no 'try'.
(Yoda)

He is able who thinks he is able.
(Buddha)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 040

Every great story on the planet happened when someone decided not to give up, but kept going no matter what)
(Spryte Loriano)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 039

How far would Moses have gone if he had taken a poll in Egypt?
(Harry S. Truman)

To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.
(Oscar Wilde)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 038

It hardly needs saying that such mutualistic communities will also be plagued by conflict. Conflict is at the very heart of life, resulting not simply from the malevolence of others in the struggle for place or portion, but also from the fact that men of the best will in the world seem to suffer in cur ably, so far as one can tell, from what William Jame called a certain blindness in perceiving the vitalities of others.
(Benjamin Nelson)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 037

Be Here Now.
(Ram Dass)

Tom, what have you done this year?
(Jessica Sutherland)

People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things.
(Anonymous)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 036

Self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings.
(Samuel Johnson)

Being blessed to be allowed to grow in the knowledge and understanding of truth is exciting beyond all compare!
(Anonymous)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 035

Reach for the stars.
(Anonymous)

Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire, which transcends everything
(Anonymous)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 034

A well-spent day brings happy sleep.
(Leonardo da Vinci)

Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.
(Malcolm Forbes)

Honesty is the best policy.
(Miguel de Cervantes)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 033

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
(Albert Einstein)

The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.
(Aristoteles)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 032

I used to want the words ‘She tried’ on my tombstone. Now I want ‘She did it.’
(Katherine Dunham)

Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life, because you become what you believe.
(Oprah Winfrey)
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More unusual herbs that can cure.

 Viscum, or mistletoe as it is known has herbal and healing properties, although I am unsure how it is prepared as a remedy. Warning all parts of the mistletoe plant , especially the berries are toxic if eaten. I know that parts used as regards herbal healing are the leafy stems and fruits.

In alternative therapy the herb is a pungent, bitter-sweet, warming herb that lowers blood pressure, stimulates the immune system, slows heartbeat, relaxes spasms, and has a sedative, diuretic, and anti-cancer effects. 

Internally medicinal uses are for arteriosclerosis, mild hypertension, nervous tachycardia, nervous tension, insomnia, panic attacks, tinnitus, epilepsy, st vitus's dance, and cancer, especially cancer of the lung, and cancer of the ovaries, although more research into this will be needed.

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Naturopathy can cure disease.

The best natural way to cure disease and illness such as cancer is prevention. You can incorporate naturopathic remedies such as improved nutrition  and vitamin supplements into your recovery strategy.
Various anti-cancer diets share some similar principles: high fibre, low fat, mostly vegan, and avoiding salt and sugar.
Antioxidants are recommended: Beta carotene, found in carrots, high doses of vitamin c and e, and zinc. Grape seed extract, available in supplements is another powerful antioxidant.
Abnormal cervical cells have been linked with a deficiency in folic acid, which is depleted by the pill and smoking.

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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 031

Two things determine if a person will be a success: reasons and results. Reasons don't count while results do...
(Anonymous)

Concentrate on Your all work. Anything will not work out without focus.
(Alexander Graham Bell)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 030

In youth we learn, in old age we understand.
(Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach)

I am in favor of animal rights as well as human rights. That is the way of a whole human being.
(Abraham Lincoln)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 029

When truth has been revealed and understood stay focused, you've just begun to live!
(Anonymous)

Have you invested as much this year in your career as in your car?
(Molly Sargent)

Let's Roll.
(Todd Beamer)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 028

We can tell our values by looking at our checkbook stubs.
(Gloria Steinem)

Don't worry about avoiding temptation... as you grow older, it will avoid you.
(Winston Churchill)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 027

Make your life itself a creative work of art.
(Mike Ray)

The show must go on.
(Proverb)

With the stones we cast at them, geniuses build new roads for us
(Paul Eldridge)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 026

Work like You don't need the money. Love like You've never been hurt. Dance like nobody is watching.
(Mark Twain)
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Why am I still fat? Will mental makeover help?

Reflecting on my life, I realized that I am still fat for a reason. Being fat has become my default setting. And I have a tendency to sabotage myself so I can maintain the default. I can justify my position because I am self deluded. I tell myself I want to change. But in reality, it takes too damn much energy to lose weight. So I'm still fat.

Photo by Dedda71
But, despite myself, I continue to search for ways to overcome myself. One such way is meditation. Simple meditation exercises can get me off of autopilot and thinking about my self deceptive habits in new ways. For example, if I inhale and notice my breath before I reach for the chocolate, I can break the cycle of associating chocolate with stress. At least that's what Martine Batchelor, author of Let Go: A Buddhist Guide to Breaking Free of Habits, says.

"The two main elements of meditation—concentration and inquiry—are key to getting control of your actions," she says. "Concentration helps because every time you come back to your breath, your body, a mantra or whatever your meditation is, you dissolve the habit's power." Next, she explains, you need to begin inquiry.

"It's like a beam of light," Batchelor says. "Normally, you find yourself [eating chocolate or whatever you want to insert here] before you think about it. With inquiry, you notice the details of the experience, you take the time to observe when and how the habit arises, and you become a little more aware that you don't want to do it."

Have I tried this yet? Meditation, like many other things in my life, I'm still working on. I do, however, know that when I take the time to think through whether buying some chocolate is good idea, I recognize that it's a less than beneficial choice. Does it always stop me? No. But it helps about 75 percent of the time. Will I continue to use it? Absolutely. I think it's a very good tool for weight loss—as well as other health-related habits such as quitting smoking.

Let me know if you use meditation, and what works for you. I'd love to hear from you.



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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 025

Be a half-assed crusader, a part-time fanatic. Don't worry to much about the fate of the world. Saving the world is only a hobby. Get out there and enjoy the world, your girlfriend, your boyfriend, husbands wives; climb mountains, run rivers, get drunk, do whatever you want to do while you can, before it's too late.
(Edward Abbey)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 024

Prosperity is a way of living and thinking, and not just money or things. Poverty is a way of living and thinking, and not just a lack of money or things.
(Eric Butterworth)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 022

Things are going to get a lot worse before they get worse.
(Lily Tomlin)

Forgiveness can be difficult, but to simply release and let go of past hurts is a skill that can be learned with practice.
(Anonymous)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 023

When the manuscript was returned to me [with revisions suggested by the editor], I saw it covered with more red ink than black ink.
(Arno Penzias)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 021

We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work its way through Congress.
(Will Rogers)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 020

I refuse to think of them as chin hairs. I think of them as stray eyebrows.
(Janette Barber)

Be wiser than other people if you can, but do not tell them so.
(Earl of Chesterfield)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 018

Old age is like everything else. To make a success of it, you've got to start young.
(Fred Astaire)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 019

Every fool thinks he knows what the photon is, but he is mistaken.
(Albert Einstein)

He wrapped himself in quotations - as a beggar would enfold himself in the purple of Emperors.
(Rudyard Kipling)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 017

People can be divided into three groups: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened. Showing up is 80% of life.
(Woody Allen)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 016

The best way to destroy your enemy is to make him your friend.
(Abe Lincoln)

If we know and don't do. It does us no good to know.
(Anonymous)

If you don't listen, you don't sell anything.
(Carolyn Marland)
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Polyphenols, Hormesis and Disease: Part II

In the last post, I explained that the body treats polyphenols as potentially harmful foreign chemicals, or "xenobiotics". How can we reconcile this with the growing evidence that at least a subset of polyphenols have health benefits?

Clues from Ionizing Radiation

One of the more curious things that has been reported in the scientific literature is that although high-dose ionizing radiation (such as X-rays) is clearly harmful, leading to cancer, premature aging and other problems, under some conditions low-dose ionizing radiation can actually decrease cancer risk and increase resistance to other stressors (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). It does so by triggering a protective cellular response, increasing cellular defenses out of proportion to the minor threat posed by the radiation itself. The ability of mild stressors to increase stress resistance is called "hormesis." Exercise is a common example. I've written about this phenomenon in the past (6).

The Case of Resveratrol

Resveratrol is perhaps the most widely known polyphenol, available in supplement stores nationwide. It's seen a lot of hype, being hailed as a "calorie restriction mimetic" and the reason for the "French paradox."* But there is quite a large body of evidence suggesting that resveratrol functions in the same manner as low-dose ionizing radiation and other bioactive polyphenols: by acting as a mild toxin that triggers a hormetic response (7). Just as in the case of radiation, high doses of resveratrol are harmful rather than helpful. This has obvious implications for the supplementation of resveratrol and other polyphenols. A recent review article on polyphenols stated that while dietary polyphenols may be protective, "high-dose fortified foods or dietary supplements are of unproven efficacy and possibly harmful" (8).

The Cellular Response to Oxidants

Although it may not be obvious, radiation and polyphenols activate a cellular response that is similar in many ways. Both activate the transcription factor Nrf2, which activates genes that are involved in detoxification of chemicals and antioxidant defense**(9, 10, 11, 12). This is thought to be due to the fact that polyphenols, just like radiation, may temporarily increase the level of oxidative stress inside cells. Here's a quote from the polyphenol review article quoted above (13):

We have found that [polyphenols] are potentially far more than 'just antioxidants', but that they are probably insignificant players as 'conventional' antioxidants. They appear, under most circumstances, to be just the opposite, i.e. prooxidants, that nevertheless appear to contribute strongly to protection from oxidative stress by inducing cellular endogenous enzymic protective mechanisms. They appear to be able to regulate not only antioxidant gene transcription but also numerous aspects of intracellular signaling cascades involved in the regulation of cell growth, inflammation and many other processes.
It's worth noting that this is essentially the opposite of what you'll hear on the evening news, that polyphenols are direct antioxidants. The scientific cutting edge has largely discarded that hypothesis, but the mainstream has not yet caught on.

Nrf2 is one of the main pathways by which polyphenols increase stress resistance and antioxidant defenses, including the key cellular antioxidant glutathione (14). Nrf2 activity is correlated with longevity across species (15). Inducing Nrf2 activity via polyphenols or by other means substantially reduces the risk of common lifestyle disorders in animal models, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer (16, 17, 18), although Nrf2 isn't necessarily the only mechanism. The human evidence is broadly consistent with the studies in animals, although not as well developed.

One of the most interesting effects of hormesis is that exposure to one stressor can increase resistance to other stressors. For example, long-term consumption of high-polyphenol chocolate increases sunburn resistance in humans, implying that it induces a hormetic response in skin (19). Polyphenol-rich foods such as green tea reduce sunburn and skin cancer development in animals (20, 21).

Chris Masterjohn first introduced me to Nrf2 and the idea that polyphenols act through hormesis. Chris studies the effects of green tea on health, which seem to be mediated by polyphenols.

A Second Mechanism

There is a place in the body where polyphenols are concentrated enough to be direct antioxidants: in the digestive tract after consuming polyphenol-rich foods. Digestion is a chemically harsh process that readily oxidizes ingested substances such as polyunsaturated fats (22). Oxidized fat is neither healthy when it's formed in the deep fryer, nor when it's formed in the digestive tract (23, 24). Eating polyphenol-rich foods effectively prevents these fats from being oxidized during digestion (25). One consequence of this appears to be better absorption and assimilation of the exceptionally fragile omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (26).

What does it all Mean?

I think that overall, the evidence suggests that polyphenol-rich foods are healthy in moderation, and eating them on a regular basis is generally a good idea. Certain other plant chemicals, such as suforaphane found in cruciferous vegetables, and allicin found in garlic, exhibit similar effects and may also act by hormesis (27). Some of the best-studied polyphenol-rich foods are tea (particularly green tea), blueberries, extra-virgin olive oil, red wine, citrus fruits, hibiscus tea, soy, dark chocolate, coffee, turmeric and other herbs and spices, and a number of traditional medicinal herbs. A good rule of thumb is to "eat the rainbow", choosing foods with a variety of colors.

Supplementing with polyphenols and other plant chemicals in amounts that would not be achievable by eating food is probably not a good idea.


* The "paradox" whereby the French eat a diet rich in saturated fat, yet have a low heart attack risk compared to other affluent Western nations.

** Genes containing an antioxidant response element (ARE) in the promoter region. ARE is also sometimes called the electrophile response element (EpRE).

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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 015

Don’t spend your money till you have it.
(Thomas Jefferson)

Inside every older lady is a younger lady, wondering what the hell happened.
(Cora Harvey Armstrong)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 013

Being broke is not the same as being broken, losing money is not the same as being lost, and finding your balance is not something you can do on a balance sheet.
(Anonymous)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 014

The Power, purpose, strength and beauty, of love and truth, never fade! You Inspire it!
(Anonymous)

Don’t belittle!
(OD Consultant)

Practice makes perfect.
(Anonymous)
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i'm fine.

Better than fine, actually. And I have lots of posts stewing in my head (that sounds kind of gross).

But I've had to spend the last few days running around doing all the things I couldn't get to when I wasn't feeling well.

Regularly scheduled (or at least semi-regularly scheduled) programming will resuming shortly.

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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 012

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
(Mark Twain)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 011

I’d like to live as a poor man with lots of money.
(Pablo Picasso)

As soils are depleted, human health, vitality and intelligence go with them
(Louis Bromfield)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 009

A facility for quotation covers the absence of original thought.
(Dorothy L. Sayers)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 010

The miraculous is not extraordinary but the common mode of existence. It is our daily bread. Whoever really has considered the lilies of the field or the birds of the air and pondered the improbability of their existence in this warm world within the cold and empty stellar distances will hardly balk at the turning of water into wine which was, after all, a very small miracle. We forget the greater and still continuing miracle by which water with soil and sunlight is turned into grapes.
(Wendell Berry)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 007

Bad things are not the worst things that can happen to us. Nothing is the worst thing that can happen to us.
(Richard Bach)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 008

If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.
(St. Francis of Assisi)
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I'm Not as Fat as I Thought

At a recent health fair, I had my waist measured. As it turns out, it was 38.5 inches. I was happy about it. In fact, I must've appeared so happy that the person taking the measurement was surprised and remarked, "It's supposed to be below 35 to be OK."

I tried to explain that I didn't expect it to be that good. And that I knew where it was supposed to be. I thought it was going to be something like 45 inches. So when it comes out seven inches smaller than what you thought it was going to be—well, I think that's reason to celebrate. Don't you?

Want to Win Free Groceries?
Anyway, are you interested in winning free groceries for a year. If so, check out my blog post on my other blog Living a Debt Free Life. Free groceries on a weight loss site? Hmmmm. There must be some kind of irony there. . . .


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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 006

He who does not economize will have to agonize.
(Confucius)

Growth, in some curious way, I suspect, depends on being always in motion just a little bit, one-way or another.
(Norman Mailer)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 005

Out of debt, out of danger.
(Proverbs)

Happiness is a form of courage
(Holbrook Jackson)

Don’t confuse having less with being less, having more with being more, or what you have with who you are.
(Anonymous)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 004

Hold on to what is good, even if it’s a handful of earth. Hold on to what you believe, even if it’s a tree that stands by itself. Hold on to what you must do, even if it’s a long way from here.
(Pueblo)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 003

Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.
(Benjamin Franklin)

Motivation alone is not enough. If you have an idiot and you motivate him, now you have a motivated idiot
(Jim Rohn)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 002

Do not wait for life. Do not long for it. Be aware, always and at every moment, that the Miracle is in the here and now.
(Marcel Proust)
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Think Quote, Year 01, Day 001

If you know how to spend less than you get, you have the philosopher’s stone.
(Benjamin Franklin)

Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors and let every new year find you a better man.
(Benjamin Franklin)
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Associations between an omega-3/omega-6 imbalance and mood disorders

In industrialized nations, diets have been impoverished in essential fatty acids since the beginning of the 20th century. The dietary ratio between omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid omega-3 increased continuously over the course of the 20th century. These fatty acids are "essential" lipids because the body cannot synthesize them from new. They must therefore be provided through food and their dietary balance is essential to maintain optimal brain functions. Researchers discovered that reduced levels of omega-3 had deleterious consequences on synaptic functions and emotional behaviours. To verify their hypotheses, the researchers studied mice fed a life-long diet imbalanced in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. They found that omega-3 deficiency disturbed neuronal communication specifically.

Read more on Science Daily

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Provinces required to establish women, children`s empowerment centers

Antara News, Wed, February 23 2011

Padang, West Sumatra (ANTARA News) - State Minister for Women`s Empowerment Linda Amalia Sari Gumelar has asked all provinces and districts to establish an Integrated Service for Women and Children Empowerment (P2TP2A).

"All provinces and districts in Indonesia should establish P2TP2A," Linda Amalia Sari Gumelar said in a function to open Women Organization Coordinating Board Regional Meeting here on Wednesday.

Linda explained from 2002 - 2007 the State Minister for Women`s Empowerment and Child Protection had facilitated the establishment of 17 P2TP2A in 17 provinces and 80 districts/municipalities.

"Unfortunately not all centers function as expected, and therefore the Women`s Empowerment Ministry will cooperate with regional governments to organize training and capacity building," Linda said.

According to her, things like that should be a concern of all parties because the evaluation results of P2TP2A implementation indicated that limited human resources and infrastructure had become obstacles so far.

"Therefore we ask for cooperation of local governments to create a network strengthening programs," Lind said.

She explained that P2TP2A was a community-based container service to women`s empowerment and child protection.

Linda said P2TP2A had a role in a bid to fulfill the need for improvement in education, health, economy, and for the management of violent acts against women and children.

Editor: Priyambodo

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Tongue Tied Tuesday


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28 penitentiary officers dismissed for drugs

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 02/22/2011

Twenty-eight penitentiary officers were dismissed last year for involvement in drug cases, an official said Tuesday.

“Some of them used drugs, some sold them and some others helped smuggle drugs into the penitentiaries,” said Bambang Sumardyono, head of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights prevention and enforcement sub-directorate within the directorate general of correctional affairs.

Most of the dismissed officers were from North Sumatra and Jakarta, Bambang said in Jakarta, as quoted by Antara. 

He said that their cases had been transferred to the police for legal processing.

In anticipation of such offenses, Bambang said that the directorate had established a task force in 2006 involving the police to conduct operations in penitentiaries.

Devices to bar cellular phones and sound recorders were also used to prevent criminal activity, he added.

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What does the Arab world do when their water runs out?


What does the Arab world do when their water runs out?

Excerpt:

"Water usage in north Africa and the Middle East is unsustainable and shortages are likely to lead to further instability – unless governments take action to solve the impending crisis

• Failure to act on crop shortages fuelling political instability

John Vidal The Observer, Sunday 20 February 2011
Poverty, repression, decades of injustice and mass unemployment have all been cited as causes of the political convulsions in the Middle East and north Africa these last weeks. But a less recognised reason for the turmoil in Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Yemen, Jordan and now Iran has been rising food prices, directly linked to a growing regional water crisis.

The diverse states that make up the Arab world, stretching from the Atlantic coast to Iraq, have some of the world's greatest oil reserves, but this disguises the fact that they mostly occupy hyper-arid places. Rivers are few, water demand is increasing as populations grow, underground reserves are shrinking and nearly all depend on imported staple foods that are now trading at record prices.

For a region that expects populations to double to more than 600 million within 40 years, and climate change to raise temperatures, these structural problems are political dynamite and already destabilising countries, say the World Bank, the UN and many independent studies.

In recent reports they separately warn that the riots and demonstrations after the three major food-price rises of the last five years in north Africa and the Middle East might be just a taste of greater troubles to come unless countries start to share their natural resources, and reduce their profligate energy and water use.

"In the future the main geopolitical resource in the Middle East will be water rather than oil. The situation is alarming," said Swiss foreign minister Micheline Calmy-Rey last week, as she launched a Swiss and Swedish government-funded report for the EU.

The Blue Peace report examined long-term prospects for seven countries, including Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, the Palestinian territories and Israel. Five already suffer major structural shortages, it said, and the amount of water being taken from dwindling sources across the region cannot continue much longer.

"Unless there is a technological breakthrough or a miraculous discovery, the Middle East will not escape a serious [water] shortage," said Sundeep Waslekar, a researcher from the Strategic Foresight Group who wrote the report.

Autocratic, oil-rich rulers have been able to control their people by controlling nature and have kept the lid on political turmoil at home by heavily subsidising "virtual" or "embedded" water in the form of staple grains imported from the US and elsewhere.

But, says Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East programme at the Washington-based Centre for Strategic Studies, existing political relationships are liable to break down when, as now, the price of food hits record levels and the demand for water and energy soars.

"Water is a fundamental part of the social contract in Middle Eastern countries. Along with subsidised food and fuel, governments provide cheap or even free water to ensure the consent of the governed. But when subsidised commodities have been cut, instability has often followed.

"Water's own role in prompting unrest has so far been relatively limited, but that is unlikely to hold. Future water scarcity will be much more permanent than past shortages, and the techniques governments have used in responding to past disturbances may not be enough," he says.

"The problem will only get worse. Arab countries depend on other countries for their food security – they're as sensitive to floods in Australia and big freezes in Canada as on the yield in Algeria or Egypt itself," says political analyst and Middle East author Vicken Cheterian.

"In 2008/9, Arab countries' food imports cost $30bn. Then, rising prices caused waves of rioting and left the unemployed and impoverished millions in Arab countries even more exposed. The paradox of Arab economies is that they depend on oil prices, while increased energy prices make their food more expensive," says Cheterian.

The region's most food- and water-insecure country is Yemen, the poorest in the Arab world, which gets less than 200 cubic metres of water per person a year – well below the international water poverty line of 1,000m3 – and must import 80-90% o f its food.

According to Mahmoud Shidiwah, chair of the Yemeni water and environment protection agency, 19 of the country's 21 main aquifers are no longer being replenished and the government has considered moving Sana'a, the capital city, with around two million people, which is expected to run dry within six years.

"Water shortages have increased political tensions between groups. We have a very big problem," he says."
_________________________

The point here is that water scarcity is an underlying cause of much of the unrest in this area of the world, only it is not getting the attention and press it needs in order to be dealt with. Governments would rather privitize it and much of it is polluted beyond the ability to be used. Even desalination in this area is proving costly. I am amazed that the word "conservation" never gets mentioned in addressing this crisis, and that is part of the problem. I would hope that the available sources would be shared equitably, but as we now see Turkey and Israel are the water bosses of the Middle East, and they control a large part of the water being used ( much of it now diverted for dams.) Also, we see many dams being built in Africa with hydropower becoming a source of energy that cannot be sustained in a land where drought and population growth are already straining agriculture along with the effects of biodistress (climate change.)

We need to address population and water usage in line with polluton of this resource that is now unsustainable. We also need to bring energy sources to these areas that do not consume huge amounts of water that should be used for growing food and addressing the needs of people in these areas. I have always contended that there was a MAD scenario to the water crisis in that no country would ever do anything to harm the source of another as it would come back on them. However, from what I have seen recently regarding unwillingness of upstream countries to share equitably with downstream countries, this crisis is becoming more and more contentious not only in the Middle East but in Asia and Africa.

Mideast News/Water Wars

The information here is a bit dated (1994) but the predictions to 2025 are coming true. Countries in this region have all stated that the one resource they will wage war over is water. And with this area already being arid now contending with longer replenishment rates due to climate change affecting the hydrologic cycle along with wasteful irrigation and drought where there is little potable water and higher populations, we will only see more protests along these lines as well as protesting higher food prices, unemployment and political corruption. Water is the 400 lb. gorilla in the room.

Survival of our species depends on taking this SERIOUSLY.
And this is not about politics or religion. This is about humanity.

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Please pass this on-Sick children in the Gulf



We must be the media since this has been totally blacked out. BP has killed the Gulf, and now the residents there are feeling the effects of Corexit and the oil which has not all disappeared contrary to what you may have read.

This is criminal. Please pass this on.

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I’m On A Diet. A Food Spending Diet, That Is.

I read an interesting column in the business section of the Trib last Monday headlined, “Go on a spending diet!” (It was the word “diet” that caught my attention since I’m not really a business section kind of girl.)

Amy Dunn’s attempt to spend no money in February really piqued my interest, especially this part: “We will eat breakfast, lunch and dinner from the stash in our pantry and freezer…And we’ll set aside $10 a week for milk and an infusion of fresh produce.”

No doubt you’ve noticed the marked increase in food prices lately. From this CNNMoney report: “Over the past 12 months, the food index has risen 1.8%, its fastest pace since 2009, and gasoline prices have soared 13.4%”

I’m feeling it. I’m sure you are, too. That’s why after reading Amy Dunn’s article, I decided a “food spending diet” was in order for me. I took an inventory of my “pantry” and decided I have at least two weeks of meals waiting to be prepared, I can eat well on $10 of fresh produce a week, and I don’t need to eat out.

The "pantry."
So yesterday, I paid for my last meal in a restaurant for at least two weeks (a lunch date with my daughter and her boyfriend) and committed to eating only food I prepare or someone else prepares or pays for (like a “real” date, which isn’t likely…lol). I went to the grocery store and spent $9.54 on spinach, blackberries, a grapefruit, bananas, onions and a mango. I already had frozen fruit and veggies in the fridge, so I should be OK for produce through Saturday.

It will be fun to get back in the kitchen again. I’ve been woefully neglectful of the culinary arts, lately throwing meals together haphazardly and subsisting on omelets, PB2, yogurt and salads. Not that there’s anything wrong with those things, but I’m more creative than that, and god knows I have the time.

Besides, I like my kitchen. I like to cook. It relieves a lot of stress. It also gives me a chance to catch up on my music listening. I put on Pandora on my computer in the “dining” room (which actually has no table; I eat at my computer or in the living room. I know, I know…but I’m mindful, really I am). Then I chop and mix and bake and clean up. It’s all very cathartic.

My kitchen is huge, but has very few cupboards and little counter space. When I moved here, I brought along two bakers racks, a two-foot-high wooden table for the microwave, a butcher’s block counter on wheels and a bookshelf (I use the word loosely) from my antique store that was probably some kid’s wood shop project in 1930, if they had such classes back then. But the bookshelf is my “pantry.”

Back to food spending. In the mail Thursday was the Penny Saver (that’s how I know it’s Thursday). I’m a coupon cutter, but only for things I already use. This week’s best deal is from Save-A-Lot (a wretched excuse for a grocery store): a free carton of eggs. No purchase necessary. I go through eggs like g-baby Maelie goes through diapers, so I’m all over that.

Some of the meals I’ll make will include brown rice, wild rice, quinoa, beans and canned tomatoes. I have a half pound of dried pinto beans so hello refried beans! I made horseradish hummus on Friday, which will last a few more days (recipe below), and I have another can of garbanzo beans to make it again to take to my friend Debbie’s house Saturday night.

The freezer.
I have four servings of lentil soup and five garbanzo bean burgers in the freezer. Since my divorce, I haven’t broken the habit of cooking a full batch of soup or whatever, thus I only eat three or four of the six or eight servings. This “food spending diet” will hopefully help me break that or at least keep me mindful next time and cut the recipe in half. I’m still new at the whole cooking for one thing.

So…have you had any food spending challenges lately? Could you eat healthily from your pantry if you had to for a week or two or three?

If you’re looking for more money-saving tips, check out one of my favorite bloggers, Cammy from Tippy Toe Diet. She shared some of her favorite money-saving sites in last week’s blog, "Frugal Friday". I totally forgot I had an eBates account until I read it! And Groupon is awesome.

Wishing you a frugal February!

As promised, my horseradish hummus recipe:

1 can (15.5 oz) garbanzo beans, drained, but reserve liquid
1-3 (or more) cloves garlic
2 T lemon juice
2 T tahini
2 T freshly ground horseradish (like you find in the jar in the refrigerated section, not horseradish sauce)
Freshly ground pepper

Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until well combined, adding bean liquid as needed (I usually use about half of it). I do a taste test halfway through processing to see if it needs salt or more pepper or horseradish. Chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours.

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Dementia 'not normal part of ageing' say scientists

Dementia is not a normal part of growing old, scientists have insisted as they step up calls for more investment in research.

The telegraph, by Martin Beckford, Health Correspondent, 10 Feb 2011

Experts claim they are close to developing effective treatments for the degenerative conditions that will soon affect a million people in Britain.

They want to dismiss the idea that diseases such as Alzheimer’s, which lead to memory loss and a gradual decline in capabilities, are an inevitable part of the ageing process that await us all.

But they say that dementia remains the “poor relation” to cancer and heart disease in terms of research funding, and so more people will suffer unnecessarily unless Government, private companies and the public increase investment.

Professor Julie Williams, a researcher at Cardiff University who has discovered genes linked to Alzheimer’s disease, said: “We’re on the verge of a profound understanding of dementia and one that could lead us to the treatments we need, but we need help to get there.

“Investing in dementia research now will pay dividends, heading off the forecast explosion in numbers living with the condition and the crippling economic costs that come alongside.”

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Professor Kevin Morgan, of the University of Nottingham, who is Scientific Adviser for Alzheimer's Research UK, added: “Dementia is not a normal part of ageing – it is caused by brain diseases that we can beat, but we need more investment in the research that will give us answers.”

As The Daily Telegraph disclosed, Alzheimer's Research UK has launched a new drive to increase funding to improve diagnosis and treatment of dementia.

There are fears that without the same “aggressive” research as was used to target HIV in the 1980s, Britain faces a “dementia catastrophe” that will cost the economy billions and ruin thousands of lives.

Julian Huppert, the MP for Cambridge who hosted the charity’s re-launch in Westminster, said: “The impact of dementia is devastating, affecting not just the individual and the people around them, but costing the UK economy over £23 billion a year.”

Related Article:



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2 men nabbed with 6.2 kg of crystal meth from Malaysia

The Jakarta Post, Mon, 02/21/2011

Two men have been arrested for their alleged attempt to smuggle 6.2 kilograms of shabu-shabu (crystal methamphetamine) from Malaysia to Jakarta, police say.

Afnal, 33, and Ismail, 31, were arrested at the Bakauheni port in Lampung early on Saturday morning, National Police spokesman Snr.Com. Boy Rafli Amar said Monday in Aceh as reported by kompas.com.

The drugs, contained in coffee packages in bags belonging to Ismail and Afnalas, were uncovered by police officers who checked the luggage of passengers on a Lorena bus at the port.

Worth an estimated Rp 5.5 billion (US$590,000), the drugs are thought to have been smuggled from Malaysia through Belawan port in North Sumatra, and would have been taken to Jakarta, Boy said.

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Doggy Prozac & Female Viagra: Big Pharma's new 'syndrome' strategy

US pharmaceutical companies get creative when it comes to disorders and drugs to treat almost anything, from canine depression to female sexual dysfunction. The American drug trade is a multi-billion-dollar business, and is only getting bigger. Meanwhile the industry has been accused of illegally pushing medicine onto the market, often endangering the lives of patients. In the US, the most common medication prescribed for dogs is to treat aggression and anxiety disorders. Pharmacists admit that Prozac works





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The latest natural cure.

I am searching for the latest natural cure. A new break-though on a natural way of curing illness and disease such as cancer. If you know of a new way or curing in a natural way please leave your comment below, it should be a cure from 2011.

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scoped

I once had a colleague who was a former Fleet Street journalist. I can't remember his name but I do remember a story he told over a particularly boozy dinner.

"The worst kinds of press releases," he said, "keep all the best bits for the end. That's just not how it should be done. It's like reading a news story that says 'A crowd gathered at Buckingham Palace today. There were also fire engines and ambulances. The corgies were brought out to safety. The Palace burned to the ground. The Queen is dead."

As I went on to work in communications, I kept that anecdote in mind and tried to make sure that the most important facts were kept in the lead of my news releases.

But this is not a news release and I can tell my story in way that pleases me.

I had an endoscopy yesterday.

I wasn't terribly worried when the secretary at reception couldn't find any record of me. I credit the Ativan for that. You still feel the anxiety but it's further away. Almost like it's someone else's anxiety.

She must have found me in the end, because I was called into the endoscopy unit, given an id bracelet and told to change into a robe.

The endoscopy unit at the Civic Hospital could use a facelift. The paint was peeling off the walls in the waiting room and the beds in the prep and recovery area are separated by curtains. My neighbour and I learned a lot about each others' medical histories and bowel movements.

Every nurse I spoke to was very taken aback that I should have metastatic breast cancer at my age.

Every one of the nurses was really kind.

The nurse who took my history and prepped me for the anesthetic noted my "crappy veins" but she got the vein accessed in one poke, so major kudos to her.

My bed was eventually wheeled into the room where the procedure would be done. At this point, I met Dr. A. for the first time. There was another doctor with him who introduced himself so quickly that I didn't catch his name. This second doctor, who I assume was a resident (why don't they introduce themselves as such? Residents always say, "I work with Dr. So and So." They never say "I am learning from Dr. So and So. Do they think the patients can't be trusted with this information? This really bugs me because I can always tell they are residents and I would be much more forgiving if they were honest with me) began to very rapidly list off all the horrendous risks of the procedure and then handed me a waver to sign. 

It's a good thing that I had done tons of my own research (and that I had taken the Ativan) because I might have demanded that they wheel me out of there.

Dr. A. asked me if I had signed the waiver and if I had any questions. I said, "I just want to get this over with."

I mentioned my strong gag reflex to Dr. Resident. He instructed the nurse (pompously? Am I being biased?) to give me some extra shots of the anesthetic spray for my throat (I had the distinct impression that the nurse was going to do this anyway but perhaps I am biased). Then they hooked me up to the drip, placed a plastic frame with a hole in it in my mouth and shoved a tube down my throat.

I then proceeded to gag, choke and gasp for breath. Tears streamed down my face. 

I'll never forget the nurse who gently held my head and spoke comfortingly to me.

It's amazing how big the endoscopy tube looked to me. There's no way it could have  been that big in real life.

I heard Dr. A. say something about how studies had shown that the gag reflex was greatly diminished when Fentanyl is administered.

I heard Dr. Resident sound surprised.

A nurse administered Fentanyl via my IV. And then I was really, really stoned (I just read that Fentanyl is 100 times more potent than morphine and I had a cocktail with other sedatives).

Not sure if I passed out or not but I was pretty woozy. I know they called T. to come and get me. And I know that one of the nurses suggested I try and get dressed.

I sat up and nearly puked. The nurse got me to lie back down again.

Lather, rinse and repeat a few times.

One of the nurses gave me some apple juice, which helped.

I asked what drugs I had been given. A nurse looked that up and said with surprise that I had been given a drug in the Valium family and Fentanyl. She said, "No wonder you're so wasted."

I heard someone mention Gravol (known as Dramamine in the US). I now understand why they give it to me each time they give me Demerol at the cancer centre. They gave me a barf bag.

I texted T. to see why he still hadn't arrived. He texted back that he was in the waiting room. I told him to come get me. He said that the secretary wouldn't let him past the waiting room.

If he wasn't allowed past the waiting room and I wasn't allowed to leave without him (nor could I walk on my own), we were kind of stuck.

One of the nurses went to get him.

Before I left, Dr. A. came to talk to me. He said that I am to come to his office in around four weeks, at which time I will get my results. He also told me that there were no visible tumours (see what I mean about burying the good stuff under a whole pile of details?).

I went home and slept for 6 and a half hours. It would have been longer if T. hadn't come into the room to check on me. I was pretty dopey all evening (giving all my online Scrabble opponents an unfair advantage) and hit the hay before 10.

My throat hurts today and I'm still kind of tired but I did get out for a run (it's 10C here today that's 50F), so I guess I'm recovering pretty well.

In a months time, I'll find out if the biopsies revealed any pre-cancerous cells. Or if I have celiac disease. And Dr. A. promised that if they don't find anyting, he's going to want to do a colonoscopy.

What fun.


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Jakarta Police Coordinating with US Embassy Over Teen’s Murder

Jakarta Globe, February 18, 2011

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Police in South Jakarta say they are coordinating with the United States Embassy to formally question the American boyfriend of a teenage girl whose body was found dumped in a gutter on Sunday.

An autopsy revealed the girl, Agnes Kharisma, 19, had been raped and strangled three days prior to the discovery of her body. She had also reportedly been robbed of Rp 1 million.

Jagakarsa Police chief of detectives First Insp. Rusdi Dalby told news portal Detik.com on Friday that Agnes was last seen by her family on Tuesday as she left to meet her boyfriend, a 50-year-old American identified as Clark. He reportedly lives in Cilegon, Banten.

Rusdi said Clark, however, told police informally that he had not seen her.

It has previously been reported that Clark’s driver had picked Agnes up from her home in Lenteng Agung, as he had done on a number of prior occasions.

Dalby said the police had not officially questioned Clark or his driver because they were still coordinating with the US Embassy.

“We must interrogate the boyfriend, then the driver. We can’t be reckless because the case involves a foreigner. We are still coordinating,” he said.


Related Article:
Agnes Kharisma, 19, was found dead in a gutter in Lenteng Agung,
South Jakarta, on Sunday. She was friends with several expatriates, police say. (Facebook Photo)


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Hospital Guards Allegedly Ditch Mentally Ill Man in Field

Jakarta Globe, Zaky Pawas | February 18, 2011

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Police have questioned four security guards from a Bogor hospital after they allegedly dumped a mentally ill man in a field near the North Bogor Police subprecinct station.

Adj. Comr. Ilot Djuanda of the North Bogor Police confirmed on Thursday that the victim, identified as Angga Nugraha, was now being treated at Marzuki Mahdi psychiatric hospital in Bogor.

Ilot said that when police discovered the victim, they rushed him to a 24-hour clinic, which sent him on to Salak Hospital for further evaluation. Angga needed psychiatric care, so he was then transferred to Marzuki Mahdi Hospital.

“We received a complaint from a resident who I shall only identify as Suratman,” Ilot said. “Suratman told our officers that he saw four security guards from Azra Hospital carrying the man, Angga, and dumping him in a field nearby. So, we checked and yes, we found him.”

Ilot said Angga was discovered curled up in an empty field not far from the North Bogor Police station. He said residents who came across Angga initially feared he was dead because he was so still.

“When police arrived, we found him sleeping and in a very poor condition,” Ilot added. “He was wearing shorts and a white T-shirt. He was walking by the time we got to Salak Hospital, but was limping. The limp looks like it is from an old injury,” he said.

Ilot added that police had questioned the four security guards from Azra Hospital and said they admitted to taking Angga, who was not a patient there, to the field. According to Ilot, the security guards said Angga, a resident of Darmaraja district in Sumedang, West Java, was causing a disturbance in the hospital parking lot.

When Angga wouldn’t leave, the guards decided to carry him to the field, Ilot said, adding that the security guards had suspected he was suffering from mental illness.

“Whatever the reason, what they did was inhumane,” Ilot said. “Why didn’t they just bring him to us at the station?”

North Bogor Police subprecinct chief Comr. R. Lubis said the security guards had just been questioned and no formal charges had been laid.

“We regret their actions,” he said. “Our subprecinct office is so close to the hospital. Why didn’t they call us?”

Meanwhile, Suwignyo, human resources manager at Azra Hospital, denied that the security guards had “dumped” the sick man in the field, saying that they had just “moved” him to another location.

“Our security guards tried to get rid of him, but he refused to leave,” he said. “And then he ended up sleeping near the security guard’s post, so they had to move him. It was just across the road, nobody dumped him.

“The security guards thought he was just a stressed out sick man who lived nearby.”

When asked why the hospital did not contact police about this man, Suwignyo said, “the guards said he looked clean and had clean skin. We did not want to alarm anybody.”

Mentally ill people often fail to receive proper treatment in Indonesia. According to a 2007 Health Ministry survey, 4.6 percent of the population suffers from serious mental disorders, including schizophrenia.

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