Banda Aceh. Twelve Indonesian children died when a suspension bridge collapsed as they were taking part in a traditional ceremony to dispel bad luck, an official said on Monday.
The accident took place on Sunday in a remote village in Aceh province, district head Ibnu Hasyim said.
“There were about 37 kids gathered together on a wire-cable suspension bridge when it collapsed and they fell into a river,” he said.
Twenty-five children were rescued with minor injuries but 12 others, all below the age of 12, were swept away in the strong currents.
The children were watching a ritual ceremony to dispel misfortune after a measles outbreak in the area.
“The adults were throwing offerings in the form of chickens into the river” when the bridge collapsed, the official said.
Life is turning into a great life. It's taking some effort, but it's been worth it. A real life can unfold for everyone if they just believe they have the power. Their power is not outside of them. It's inside. That's the key. I'm not saying that thinking like this is in anyway easy—especially if you're used to giving your power away. It takes several weeks of telling yourself everyday that your are the one who's in control. But once it starts to sink in, it opens a whole new world to you. It begins with The Secret and it keeps going with you. Think I'm full of it? Give it a shot. The only thing you have to lose is a bad attitude.
Remember: It isn't easy. But it's worth it.
That's all for today. I'm still traveling on my journey to enlightenment. And I'm still avoiding sugar—although I did fall off the wagon this weekend. Never to my benefit though. I always end up getting sick after I eat the sugar. I think I was closer to diabetes than I once thought.
BBC News, By Emma WilkinsonHealth reporter, Sunday, 6 June 2010 17:12 UK
Too much cholesterol causes hardened fatty arteries, raising the risk of a heart attack.
The amount of cholesterol circulating in the bloodstream is partly regulated by the brain, a study in mice suggests.
It counters assumptions that levels are solely controlled by what we eat and by cholesterol production in the liver.
The US study in Nature Neuroscience found that a hunger hormone in the brain acts as the "remote control" for cholesterol travelling round the body.
Too much cholesterol causes hardened fatty arteries, raising the risk of a heart attack.
The research carried out by a US team at the University of Cincinnati found that increased levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin in mice caused the animals to develop higher levels of blood-circulating cholesterol.
Levels in the blood rise because signals from the brain prompt the liver to store less cholesterol, the researchers said.
It is known that ghrelin inhibits a receptor in the brain in its role in regulating food intake and energy use.
In a separate experiment, they found that blocking this receptor in mice also increased levels of cholesterol in the blood.
Potential treatment
The researchers said the finding needs to be replicated in humans but potentially opens up a new way of treating high cholesterol.
Study leader Professor Matthias Tschoep said: "We have long thought that cholesterol is exclusively regulated through dietary absorption or synthesis and secretion by the liver.
"Our study shows for the first time that cholesterol is also under direct 'remote control' by specific neurocircuitry in the central nervous system."
Fotini Rozakeas, cardiac nurse at British Heart Foundation, said: "This interesting study on mice shows for the first time that blood cholesterol levels can be directly controlled by signals transmitted from the brain to the liver where cholesterol is formed.
"This could potentially open up new forms of treatment to control cholesterol levels, which would be great news for people with heart and circulation problems."
She stressed that much more research would be needed before the mechanisms at play were fully understood.
"In the meantime, people should reduce the amount of saturated fat in their diet, take part in regular physical activity and, in some cases, take prescribed medicines such as statins, to keep their cholesterol levels under control."
In the last couple of weeks, I have received two emails from Rethink Breast Cancer, an advocacy organization aimed at younger women. The messages urged me to by tickets for the Rethink Romp, a Toronto fundraiser and party.
I like a party as much the next girl and the idea of a superhero themed party made me smile. I love superheroes.
I eagerly clicked through to check out the "Shazamer", an interactive site where I could make my own superhero. At that point, the fun came to a screaming halt, as I read the words: "Show of your six packs and your great racks in support of Rethink Breast Cancer".
It's a great site, with some really cool interactive features but the model is built like Barbie and the "Superheroes" title bears the sub-head "with a great rack comes great responsibility."
The idea that a group of diverse, smart breast cancer advocates sat around a table and decided that this was a good idea is just inconceivable to me. Even more shocking is that this idea went from that table to a high profile, glossy campaign without someone shouting, "Hey wait a minute! Don't you all think this is a little insensitive?"
Yesterday, I sent Rethink this brief email:
Has no one complained to you about this?
A breast cancer organization talking about "great racks"? What if you only have half a rack or none at all? Can I still be a superhero if I'm not white [I did discover after I sent the note, that you can change the skin colour of the model, once you get inside the game but both the male and female superhero start as fair and light-haired] , with big boobs and able-bodied?
I love the idea and I love the spirit of fun and celebration to which you are clearly aspiring. I just don't understand how a group of breast cancer advocates sat down together and agreed that this is the best imagery and wording for this event.
So disappointed.
I haven't heard back yet. Rethink Breast Cancer has a great mandate and does good work. I love the spirit of fun they try and inject into their work. With this campaign, though, the organization has displayed a serious error in judgment.
super me a one-breasted warrior with really great boots a rhea belle top and some seriously funky accessories (thanks to Babz for that suggestion) generous hips (the better to shoot from) crows feet and smile lines honest smart strong and always compassionate but ready to kick ass when she needs to.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Former chairman of the National Commission for Child Protection, Seto Mulyadi, has expressed concern over the phenomenon of toddlers developing the cigarette smoking habit and the lack of public worry about it.
In his written statement received by ANTARA here on Saturday, he said the phenomena was indeed not an ideal reflection of parents or families which are supposed to protect children from cigarette smoking which could affect their right to live and grow.
As recently reported in the media, a number of cases of below five year old children smoking cigarettes have been found in the country, he said, referring among others to a four-year old child smoker in Malang, East Java, and a two-year old child smoker in Teluk Kemang, Munyi, Banyu Asin, South Sumatra.
The two-year old child in South Sumatra was even reported able to smoke 40 cigarettes a day.
Mulyadi said he believed this had happened because their families and adults living around them had been very permissive and ignored the danger of cigarette smoking.
He said cigarette smoke had long been known as containing thousands of substances that could disrupt lung and intelligence development in children, cause infection of respiratory channels, ears and asthma.
Mulyadi said in the past four years the prevalence of smoking children has risen by 400 percent.
Ardi Rizal, a two year old from Sumatra puffs his way through two pack of cigarettes per day. (Photo courtesy SCTV)
It feels like nesting, this indescribable urge to clean and organize my house. Part of it is the surgery looming in two weeks and another part is a need to declutter. Since losing weight, I’m no longer a pack rat and I don’t like stuff overstaying its welcome. If I’m no longer using it, maybe someone else can. (Which reminds me, you have until tomorrow night – Sunday, June 6 – to throw your name in the hat for my latest giveaway! Click here for more info.)
Nesting started last week when I pruned the heck out of the lilacs in the back, turned over the compost heap and spread it all along what I hope will be new garden beds next year, mulched, cleaned the bird bath and the bird feeders, vacuumed the porch, organized the linen closet, ripped up carpet, and painted the floor.
Today, I cleaned the basement. And when I say I basement, I mean quasi cellar.
Our house is nearly 100 years old. The foundation is stone and the floor is concrete, although clearly someone laid what looks like 1940s linoleum at some point – flooring that is now almost completely flaked off.
You get to the basement through a 4½-foot door located in the kitchen. (And yes, that's a YELLOW plastic cat door. It was my dad's idea. Swear.) Even my friend Shari – at barely 5’ tall – has to duck her head. The gas meter reader isn’t as fortunate. He’s 6’2”. My stepson, who is also over 6’ tall, calls our house a death trap for tall people.
I clean in a Z pattern: southwest corner to northwest corner to southeast corner to northeast corner, which is where the second exit is located, the one that takes you up a few stairs to the outside cellar door – the one Claire likes to hop down.
With my trusty old shop vac, I sucked up a year of cobwebs and dust bunnies, and I moved luggage and boxes and chairs around to make the space more spacious and user friendly, particularly around the washer and dryer. Surprisingly I only hauled out two 30-gallon garbage bags of trash and a box that was rotting. Unfortunately IN that box were the games Scrabble and Battleship which also suffered those funky water marks and odor. I thought I’d transferred everything to plastic bins, but obviously I overlooked the game box. Dang it.
In 90 minutes, the basement was no longer scary, and if you’re my height or shorter (5’5”), you can safely walk upright without getting creepy crawly sticky things in your hair.
The purge felt good, and afterwards, I celebrated with roasted Brussels sprouts and cauliflower (ate most of them before I thought to take a photo. Recipe to follow) and a glass of Fredonia.
18 days until surgery. Think I’ll tackle windows next. And maybe the Memory Box. You know the one – the thing in which you dump all your letters, homemade Mother’s Day cards, ticket stubs, photos, grade school report cards, and fat pants (yup, that’s where I keep the size 28 black stretch pants). It’s one of the last bastions of unorganization that I need to organize. But the Memory Box is a daunting place, not only from an organizational standpoint, but an emotional one, too. It’s like Pandora’s Box in reverse. Most of the stuff in there is good, but some of it is not. I might need a bit more Fredonia before I open that bad boy.
Anyhoo, here’s the Brussels sprouts recipe I promised. It took me nearly a year to finally make it the way I like it. I’m done experimenting!
Hope you’re having a productive weekend, too. If not, I hope it’s at least fun.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Cauliflower Serves 2 normal-sized servings or 1 Lynn serving
5-6 oz Brussels sprouts, trimmed, cleaned and cut in fourths 8 oz cauliflower, either cut or twisted off into small bite-sized portions. I prefer to twist. Non-stick spray 1/8 to ¼ t seasoned salt 1/8 to ¼ t other spices such as garlic powder, pepper, celery salt/powder…whatever floats your boat) 1-2 T veggie broth (any broth would work)
Place the veggies in a deep roasting pan sprayed with non-stick spray. Sprinkle the spices on, spray the veggies and mix with your hands. Roast in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Pour in the broth and mix. Put back in the oven for another 20 minutes or until done the way you like it.
In my last two posts on grains, I described how traditional food processing methods make grains more nutritious and digestible (1, 2). I promised to briefly describe a few recipes from around the world, then got distracted by other things. Here they are.
Africa: Ogi
Grain fermentation is widespread in Africa and is probably nearly as old as agriculture on the continent. The nutritional importance of fermentation is suggested by the amount of time and effort that many African cultures put into it, when they could save themselves a lot of trouble by simply soaking and cooking their grains.
Ogi is a common West African porridge that's eaten as a staple food by people of all ages. It's even used as a weaning food. It's made in essentially the same manner from corn, sorghum or millet.
Whole grain is soaked in water for one to three days. It's then wet milled, mixed with water and sieved to remove a portion of the bran. Extra bran is fed to animals, while the white, starchy sediment is fermented for two to three days. This is then cooked into a thin or thick porridge and eaten.
South America: Pozol
At first glance, some people may think I left the 'e' off the word 'pozole', a traditional Mexican stew. However, pozol is an entirely different beast, an ancient food almost totally unknown in the US, but which fueled the Mayan empire and remains a staple food in Southeastern Mexico.
To make pozol, first the corn must be 'nixtamalized': whole kernels are boiled in a large volume of water with calcium hydroxide (10% w/v). This is a processing step in most traditional South American corn recipes, as it allows a person to avoid pellagra (niacin deficiency)! The loosened bran is removed from the kernels by hand.
The kernels are then ground into dough, formed into balls and placed into banana leaves to ferment for one to 14 days. Following fermentation, pozol is diluted in water and consumed raw.
Europe: Sourdough Bread
Sourdough bread is Europe's quintessential fermented grain food. Before purified yeast strains came into widespread use in the 20th century, all bread would have been some form of sourdough.
Although in my opinion wheat is problematic for many people, sourdough fermentation renders it more nutritious and better tolerated by those with gluten/wheat sensitivity. In an interesting series of studies, Dr. Marco Gobbetti's group, among others, has shown that fermentation partially degrades gluten, explaining the ability of fermentation to decrease the adverse effects of gluten in those who are sensitive to it (3). They even showed that people with celiac disease can safely eat wheat bread that has been long-fermented with selected bacteria and yeasts under laboratory conditions (4). Rye contains about half the gluten of bread wheat, and is generally nutritionally superior to wheat, so sourdough rye is a better choice in my opinion.
To make sourdough bread, first the dry grains are ground into flour. Next, the flour is sifted through a screen to remove a portion of the bran. The earliest bread eaters probably didn't do this, although there is evidence of the wealthy eating sifted flour in societies as old as ancient Egypt and ancient Rome. I don't know what the optimum amount of bran to include in flour is, but it's not zero. I would be inclined to keep at least half of it, recognizing that the bran is disproportionately rich in nutrients.
Next, a portion of flour is mixed with water and a "sourdough starter", until it has a runny consistency. The starter is a diverse culture of bacteria and yeast that is carefully maintained by the bread maker. This culture acidifies the batter and produces carbon dioxide gas. The mixture is allowed to ferment for 8-12 hours. Finally, flour and salt are added to the batter and formed into dough balls. These are allowed to ferment and rise for a few hours, then baked.
My Experience
I've tried making ogi (millet) and pozol, and I have to admit that neither attempt was successful. Pozol in particular may depend on local populations of bacteria and yeast, as the grains' microorganisms are killed during processing. However, I do eat fermented grains regularly in the form of homemade brown rice 'uthappam' and sourdough buckwheat 'crepes'. The buckwheat crepes are tasty and easy to make. I'll post a recipe at some point.
The first two recipes are from the FAO publication Fermented Cereals: a Global Perspective (5).
and it keeps going with you. Think I'm full of it? Give it a shot. The only thing you have to lose is a bad attitude.
