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Showing posts from September, 2009

The Sin of Forgiveness

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I don't believe in unconditional forgiveness. If that makes me a b*tch, then I am a b*tch. Forgiveness can ONLY be an ongoing process between victim and someone they've hurt. You can not forgive the unrepentent. Some things you can not forgive. The whole "forgiveness" movement makes my stomach churn. They deny the long term effects of abuse, even subtle abuse and try to make the victim feel even worse. It's sickening and its wrong. I am open to truth and honest dialog between myself and anyone who has hurt me or anyone I have hurt. The formers usually dig in its heels like a 6 year old and dismisses me out of hand painting me as "crazy" (because I believe we all owe each other accountability). The latter would rather hate & smear than have actual dialog. Still, I have done both with a couple people and do believe in restorative justice. Does that make me nasty or unable to "get past it"? No. It means I have enough self-esteem now

Chronic Pain Speeds Up the Aging Process

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Younger people with pain look similar in terms of their disability to people who are two to three decades older without pain, according to a study published in this month's issue of the Journal of the American Geriatric Society. The results of the study uncovered that people with pain develop the functional limitations classically associated with aging at much earlier ages. Functional limitations that impair the ability to live independently increase markedly with age, and to examine the effect researchers looked at the data from the 18,531 participants, aged 50 and older, who took part in the 2004 Health and Retirement Study. The four physical abilities considered were: mobility, for example walking or jogging; stair climbing; upper extremity tasks, and; activity of daily living (bathing, dressing, eating, etc) with or without help. 24% of participants had significant pain (often troubled by pain that was moderate or severe most of the time) and across all four physical abilities

Deepest Sympathies to Rep. Carolyn Maloney

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Fourteen years ago, when my attorney and I were fighting for the disability benefits I'd paid into since I was 17 years old - I contacted Rep. Maloney's office. They were wonderful to me. Within 5 weeks I had my benefits. And just 5 years ago, they helped me again. My deepest sympathies to one of the hardest working women in government. The remains of Rep. Carolyn Maloney's husband reached the capital of Nepal Monday after a team of Sherpas carried him down one of the world's highest mountains. Clifton Maloney, 71, died in his sleep on Friday after becoming the oldest person to climb the 27,000-foot peak of Mount Cho Oyu - the sixth-tallest in the world. The Sherpas took Maloney's body to a base camp deep in the Himalayas where a waiting helicopter flew the remains to the Nepalese border. From there, the body was transported to Kathmandu, to be prepared yesterday for the long trip home to New York. A devastated Rep. Maloney (D-N.Y.) said Sunday that she felt som

Atonement Via Facebook?

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The Jewish high holidays -- which end today on Yom Kippur -- are a time when many are called upon to repent and seek forgiveness from others. But in a world where the Internet has increasingly become a way to communicate, some are replacing one-on-one apologies with Facebook and Twitter updates during the Jewish holy days. That concerns Rabbi Jason Miller of Congregation T'chiyah in Oak Park, who sees some using the impersonal nature of the Web as a way to avoid real interaction. He plans to talk about the issue today to his congregation during services on what is known as the Day of Atonement. "We've lost the personal touch," said Miller, who also is the rabbi of Tamarack Camps in Michigan. "There should be an effort, a little challenge to go up to another person and seek forgiveness, to admit our wrongdoing." Miller often uses social media himself and blogs at blog.rabbijason.com, but cautions against overdoing it. He notes one Facebook update he got Frida

Children of the Con

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Did Obama Send a Cardboard Cut-Out to the U.N.?

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In the wake of Bibi's strong speech - it's impossible not to compare O-lame-A's speech and weak rhetoric to it. And yet this guy's POTUS! We went from a sociopathic moron to this inexperienced narcissist. Let us pray. Well, if this isn’t an analogy for an empty-suit presidency, nothing will suffice. It’s too good to be true and so almost certainly isn’t, but as this rapid-fire look at 130 photographs from the UN this week shows, it’s hard not to draw the conclusion that the POTUS has a COTUS. Watch the frozen image of Barack Obama’s face on your first pass, and then check the position of his hands on your second pass: Barack Obama's amazingly consistent smile from Eric Spiegelman on Vimeo . The grin is almost Chesire Cat-like, staying in a fixed position in every shot while the angle of the camera moves. The hands stay in exact position in relation to the body. The angle of the head doesn’t change over 130 frames, either. Either that’s a cardboard cutout, or like

PLEASE HELP! SIGN THE PCOS AWARENESS PETITION!

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PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION TO HELP THOUSANDS OF WOMEN LIKE ME: PCOS AWARENESS & TREATMENT - Please Sign!! I was diagnosed in 1966 and didn't receive proper treatment until 1999!!! That's right -- 33 years of hearing that it must be me !! Despite PCOS being a KNOWN DISEASE since the 1930s! Let's include being bullied at school by students AND teachers who were clueless about this illness. PCOS robbed me of some of my womanhood, destroyed relationships I cared about, given me heart disease and added to my clinical depression and PTSD issues. And I am not the only one. More Awareness is needed now!! Please help. Thank you. PCOS and Weight Loss by Louise Parker One of the major obstacles facing women with PCOS is the weight gain that has become synonymous with it. Approximately 50 to 60% of all women with PCOS are classified as obese. One of the major reasons why obesity is common in PCOS sufferers is the body’s inability to process insulin. Insulin is a hormone that regul

Israel - the Center for Climate Change Technology

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By Ehud Zion Waldoks Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan (Likud) and ministry director-general Yossi Inbar attended an urgent UN summit on climate change in New York on Tuesday to present Israel's commitment to reduce carbon emissions. United Nations Secretary... United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, left, is joined by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, center and actor Hugh Jackman, right, for Climate Week NYC opening ceremony in New York on Monday. Erdan joined 100 other officials at the summit, including US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao. While it was too early to present a serious recommendation for how Israel planned to reduce its emissions, Erdan was expected to reiterate the country's commitment to the process and discuss the steps that have been taken so far, the ministry's acting director of international relations, Ayelet Rosen, told The Jerusalem Post. Erdan was to address the emergency summit called by UN Secretar

No Cast? No Cane? No Pain!

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Hey! They Don’t LOOK Disabled! Who Is Allowed To Park In those Disabled Parking Spaces, Anyway? Have you ever seen someone get out of a car parked in a space reserved for the disabled, who did not LOOK disabled? Did it make you very uncomfortable or even upset? Did you let them know of your disapproval by giving them a dirty look or yelling something at them? Well, you are not alone. Many people are very disturbed by the sight of a seemingly mobile person stealing the space of someone who is truly in need of it. After all, we want to protect the rights of people for whom these spaces are reserved! However, in wanting to help those who deserve these parking spaces, we actually may be hurting someone who does have a legal right and a legitimate need to park there. H ow can this be true, you ask? Isn’t it obvious who is and who is not disabled? The answer is… NO. The qualifications for the general accessible parking spaces include those using chairs, walkers, crutches and canes, as well a

Meme: The Vegan's 100

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Although I am not Vegan - I do eat a lot more veggies and fruit than anything else... so here goes... join me if you like! The Vegan's Hundred Here’s what I want you to do: 1) Copy this list into your blog or social networking site profile, including these instructions. 2) Make RED all the items you’ve eaten. 3) Cross out or italicize any items that you would never consider eating. 4) Optional extra: Post a comment on this post linking to your results. I hope you will join this vegan foodie tasting adventure. ...lets show the omnivores that the question "what do vegans eat?" definitely has over 100 amazing answers...! The HHL Vegan Hundred: 1. Molasses 2. Cactus/Nopales 3. Scrambled Tofu 4. Grilled Portobella Caps 5. Fresh Ground Horseradish 6. Sweet Potato Biscuits 7. Arepa 8. Vegan Cole Slaw 9. Ginger Carrot Soup 10. Fiddlehead Ferns 11. Roasted Elephant Garlic 12. Umeboshi 13. Almond Butter Toast 14. Aloe Vera 15. H and H Bagel NYC 16. Slow Roasted Butternut Squash 17.

The Dark Side of PCOS

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I was diagnosed with Stein-Leventhal Syndrome in 1966. My own mother called me a freak. Eventually a lot of other people did too. Until 9 years ago even doctors didn't fully "get it" and blamed the patient. Some still do that . I thought I was alone with it. Now called PCOS I realize how this scourge has ruled my life as a woman, and still does today. I could have written this article below, almost word for word. Thank you for taking the time to read this and pass this on to a woman you think will benefit from reading it. If you need to know more about PCOS visit the PCOS Association . Or you can write to me (link on right) by Pam The purpose of this is not a public pity party. After dealing with the emotions involved with PCOS firsthand, I think it's important for people to know what can go on in a woman's head. If you have PCOS, you know exactly what I'm talking about. If you know someone or are the partner to someone who has it, this may explain a few

Far-Right Republicans "Loser Recycling Summit"

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from the great UPPITY WOMAN, another spot-on post!: If the Republican "Values Summit" (AKA Zealots who could stand some work themselves instead of meddling into other people’s lives ) is any indicator, I want to go on record right now and lay odds of 15 to 1 in favor of an Obama second term. I don’t think the Republican Party understands that running under the “ I am not Obama ” banner isn’t going to get them very far. But alas, they cannot resist recycling the same old people as potential Presidential candidates. Sarah Palin didn’t even show up, which is not surprising, because if Republicans actually think people Like Newt “I know everything there is to know about everything” Gingrich is going to let that happen, they are more out of touch than I imagined. Between the events she is not invited to and the ones she decides not to attend, it’s pretty clear that this is not a member of the inner circle. Sorry folks, but by 2012, Palin might have a daytime talk show or

Monserrate's Video Moment

Monserrate's office is just a few blocks away... With Domestic Violence Awareness month coming up -- they can move it even father away, please. By ANDREA PEYSER Shortly after Hiram "Monster" Monserrate cut his girl friend's face, nearly to the bone, with a drinking glass, the young lady in question made a call. Not to her mother. Or her priest. Or bartender. Hiram's gal pal, Karla Giraldo, called her facialist. It was 3 a.m., and she'd lost quite a bit of blood. She also was exceedingly drunk. She was palpably angry. She was bloody. Injured. Hysterical. But Karla wanted to make absolutely certain she wasn't scarred for life. So en route to Long Island Jewish Medical Center, she consulted about "alternative" therapies. And so goes Day One of the strangest domestic-violence case ever to be heard in the borough of Queens. Monserrate, a former cop and current state senator with a weird penchant for Scientology, went on trial for felony assault in a D

PCOS and Obesity/ Weight Problems

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"Simply assuming overweight women are 'out of control' is inhumane and uneducated. Women with PCOS struggle valiantly against weight gain; often an uphill, losing battle. Malicious comments and ignorant physician assumptions that they just need to 'go on a diet' are monstrous and need to be eliminated." - PCOS Advocate Obesity or persistent weight gain is a common feature of polycystic ovarian syndrome. Many women find it almost impossible to lose weight, even when on a strict diet. It seems that every calorie that is eaten is stored as fat. There are many possible reasons why women with PCOS are overweight. A few of them are: A genetic predisposition toward "thrifty genes". A disordered biochemical signaling system affecting fat metabolism/storage, and appetite. Glandular disorders or diseases such as hypothyroidism. Chronic stress. Hidden food allergies. Medications. Sodium retention. Most women have some combination of the above factors that are