Donating Hope for the Holidays

H.O.P.E = Helping Other People Everyday
This organization was started by a couple of my good friends. It is a great way to help and make someone's holiday very special.

It's time for HOPE!

"As we enter our 5th year of preparing and sharing meals with our homeless population, we are looking forward to doing this with your help!" -Randy Bragdon

Please check it out.
facebook.com/HopeSanDiego

The Butterfly People Of Joplin

I read a truly inspiring story in the St. Louis Post Dispatch. It talked about butterfly people that were seen by children as the tornado devastated Joplin that fateful night. You don't need to be a religious person to realize that the stories are a positive way to deal with the magnitude of loss that affected so many people.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/the-butterfly-people-of-joplin/article_cca48b1a-282b-587d-902b-cd5f09ca8516.html

Quote of the Day!!!

Never tell me the sky is the limit...when there are footprints on the moon.

Sorry!

Sorry, I haven't posted for a while. I was having some major issues with my computer so I bought a new one. Mine was a few years old anyways so I gave it to my son. Of course, I reset it to factory settings. He doesn't need to do that much on it, he's seven, but he can play games and use his learning programs. Now I have a new computer, I'm excited. =)

BE PREPARED!

My next door neighbor is a paramedic and today he got sent to Joplin, Missouri to help. The storms as of late have really scared me. I decided that I am going to be better prepared. I live in Missouri...it could have been my city that was destroyed, my family and friends that died or were injured. So much to think about and be grateful for.

My Checklist

• Devise a Plan for reconnecting family that is not together (kids may be in school, I may be at the grocery store, my husband may be at work, etc.)

• Gather Emergency Supplies and put supplies in basement. (bottled water, medicine, first aid kit, important papers, extra food, clothing, etc.)

• Make sure I have plenty of flashlights, batteries, candles, matches and lighters.

• Pack a bag for the kids with their toys, blankets, etc. These things will make them more comfortable. Anyone with kids knows this is important.

• I just bought some blow-up beds (Wal-mart/camping section) to put in the basement so if we are trapped, we have something other than the concrete to sleep on.

I know there is probably more, I just can't think of any at the moment. If you have any ideas, please let me know. I will hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

Positive Thinking

If you knew you could not fail at anything, what would you do?

Craftvism: Orphan Outreach

The creators of the Lark publication Craft Hope and blog have a new project in the works and are reaching out to DIY community for assistance. Each time pairing a project with a charity such as Doctors Without Borders or Audubon Nature Institute, Craft Hope has selected Orphan Outreach this time for Project 12, after learning the shocking statistics of the worldwide plight of today’s abandoned children.

“There are more than 143 million orphans around the world. The majority don’t live in orphanages, they live in communities. They live in extreme poverty and many are homeless.” –Orphan Outreach
This summer Orphan Outreach will be traveling to Russia, visiting orphanages in St. Petersburg and in the region of Leningrad to assist with children ranging from infant to teenagers that have been abandoned, neglected or abused. Craft Hope wants to send handmade bracelets to these children as a sign of our love and a small way to add some joy to their lives…universally loved, what child wouldn’t enjoy a cute bracelet?

If you would like to help, bracelets made of hemp, woven thread, beads or fabric will be accepted until June 15, 2011. Please mail completed bracelets to:

Carin Vogelzang
630 Griswold SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49507

www.handmadespark.com/blog/craftvism-orphan-outreach/

Squirt, Squirt!

So my two year old was on the potty and I was in the bathroom with him. I was cleaning the bathroom mirror and not fully paying attention to him. I hear him giggling and turn to see that he is tightening his stomach and squirting at intervals. I asked him, "What are you doing? You go pee-pee in the potty not on the floor." His reply, "I got a court gun (squirt gun) see?" I had to fight not to laugh and encourage him. Although I had a mess to clean up, it was pretty funny. He was so excited about his squirt gun.

What to do?

My oldest son is currently going to a Christian private school, which we all loved but the last couple of months have been really rough. He has been getting bullied at school. I have talked to his teacher and the principal and that particular kid has stopped. Lately, the same kid has gotten other kids involved to pick on my son. My son is not a wimpy-type kid. He is passive, generous and kind. He is pretty easy to take advantage of due to personality. The problem is that he goes through all grades with this same set of kids, there is only one class per grade. He won't ever be able to meet new kids or get away from these kids. He has been standing up for himself but it seems to only make matters worst. Most kids love recess, he has now begun to hate it. It is very sad. I have considered public school but my son really enjoys the Christian education. He has been with these kids for 2 years now and has made some good friends too. I really don't know what to do. I want him to decide but since he's never been to public school, he doesn't know what it is like. I went to public school so I know how different it is. There are pros and cons with public and private schools. I want him to have a good education but I also want him to be happy. (As happy as he can be considering he has to go to school. Most kids don't like going to school, right?)He's going to experience bullies anywhere he goes, sad but true. What to do?

Yabba Dabba Doo! Seth MacFarlane to Reboot The Flinstones

I can't wait. I think it will be great. I really like Family Guy, I just don't watch it with the kids around and I would definitely pre-screen The Flinstones before I let them see it. I wonder if it will be suitable for kids. You never know. See the article below for more info.


Fox just announced the deal at its upfront this afternoon. Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly said production on the animated series will begin production in Fall 2011 for a 2013 premiere on the Fox schedule. In a cross-studio collaboration, The Flintstones will be produced jointly by 20th Century Fox Television and Warner Bros Television.
Dan Palladino Gilmore Girls and Kara Vallow Family Guy will serve as executive producers with Seth MacFarlane who says the very first cartoon character he drew at age 2 was Fred Flintstone. “So it’s appropriate that events have come full circle, allowing me to produce the newest incarnation of this great franchise. Plus, I think America is finally ready for an animated sitcom about a fat stupid guy with a wife who’s too good for him.” Added Reilly: “The Flintstones are among the funniest and most beloved characters in television history, and we can’t wait to introduce them to a whole new generation on Fox,” said Kevin Reilly, President of Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. “FOX has long been home to iconic families like the Simpsons and the Griffins, so I have no doubt that the Flintstones and the Rubbles are going to fit right in on our air.” He hinted that the deal for the show closed just hours before the presentation today — just like I told you. In a video shown at the upfronts, MacFarlane shed some light on his plans for the remake: The characters will look the same but hell introduce new technology, like “What is the animal version of an iPad?”
EXCLUSIVE: Seth MacFarlane is one of the busiest creatives in show business — and he just got a lot busier. Ive just learned that hes finally realized one of his lifes ambitions: to reboot The Flintstones as a TV and film property. My scoop today follows years of very complicated negotiations between 20th Century Fox TV, where McFarlane is based, and Warner Bros Television, which owns the rights to the series after absorbing The Flintstones famed producer Hanna-Barbera. Not only did the suits have a ton of deal points to work through, but I hear the “Yabba Dabba Doo” prehistoric family sitcoms rightholders were somewhat concerned how the classic series would be interpreted given MacFarlanes brand of raunchy comedies like Family Guy. But, if you ask me, Universals dreadful Flintstones films were the real abomination … So here are all the Hollywood players who had to unentangle this mess: MacFarlanes attorney Jim Jackoway, WMEs Ari Emanuel and Greg Hodes; 20th Century Fox TVs Gary Newman, Ira Kurghan, and Howard Kurtzman; and Warner Bros Televisions Peter Roth, Brett Paul and even Bruce Rosenblum. Theres no broadcast date as of yet, but the reboot will air on Fox.
via YABBA DABBA DOO! Seth MacFarlane Finally Gets Go-Ahead To Reboot ‘The Flintstones’ – Deadline.com.

A little inspiration

Be with those who make you laugh. Love without holding back. Don't wait to count the blessings in your life, but experience them every single day!

Got Coffee?

A person's body is 60% water.  I think my body is 60% coffee.

Seriously?

"Um, don't let me interupt you."

I took this picture of a statue at the St. Louis Zoo.

Fortune Cookie

"The skies above will rain success onto you." I sure hope so, that's be great.

Canadian researchers find a simple cure for cancer, but major pharmaceutical companies are not interested.

Researchers at the University of Alberta, in Edmonton, Canada have cured cancer last week, yet there is a little ripple in the news or in TV. It is a simple technique using very basic drug. The method employs dichloroacetate, which is currently used to treat metabolic disorders. So, there is no concern of side effects or about their long term effects.

This drug doesn’t require a patent, so anyone can employ it widely and cheaply compared to the costly cancer drugs produced by major pharmaceutical companies.

Canadian scientists tested this dichloroacetate (DCA) on human’s cells; it killed lung, breast and brain cancer cells and left the healthy cells alone. It was tested on Rats inflicted with severe tumors; their cells shrank when they were fed with water supplemented with DCA. The drug is widely available and the technique is easy to use, why the major drug companies are not involved? Or the Media interested in this find?

In human bodies there is a natural cancer fighting human cell, the mitochondria, but they need to be triggered to be effective. Scientists used to think that these mitochondria cells were damaged and thus ineffective against cancer. So they used to focus on glycolysis, which is less effective in curing cancer and more wasteful. The drug manufacturers focused on this glycolysis method to fight cancer. This DCA on the other hand doesn’t rely on glycolysis instead on mitochondria; it triggers the mitochondria which in turn fights the cancer cells.

The side effect of this is it also reactivates a process called apoptosis. You see, mitochondria contain an all-too-important self-destruct button that can't be pressed in cancer cells. Without it, tumors grow larger as cells refuse to be extinguished. Fully functioning mitochondria, thanks to DCA, can once again die.

With glycolysis turned off, the body produces less lactic acid, so the bad tissue around cancer cells doesn't break down and seed new tumors.

Pharmaceutical companies are not investing in this research because DCA method cannot be patented, without a patent they can’t make money, like they are doing now with their AIDS Patent. Since the pharmaceutical companies won’t develop this, the article says other independent laboratories should start producing this drug and do more research to confirm all the above findings and produce drugs. All the groundwork can be done in collaboration with the Universities, who will be glad to assist in such research and can develop an effective drug for curing cancer.

You can access the original research for this cancer here.

This article wants to raise awareness for this study, hope some independent companies and small startup will pick up this idea and produce these drugs, because the big companies won’t touch it for a long time.