PUSH THE WHEEL

STEVE JOBS WHAT I LEARNED FROM HIM

2011-10-18T01:02:00.008-04:00

Everyone has a story. Some are more interesting while others more tragic. In my past blogs I mentioned how eulogies are very interesting as it tells us more about the person who just left us.

For many years I followed Steve Jobs from the beginning when Apple was in battle with Bill Gates at Microsoft. I traded both stocks on and off for years, kicking myself for not putting them away and forgetting about them. Oh well, shoulda, woulda, coulda has been my sorrows for years.

Since Steve Job passed away, I have been researching more about him especially after viewing his commencement speech at Stamford University. If you have not seen it, I recommend it to every student and adult. He inspired me as well as many other people, bringing tears to my eyes.

Learning about how his biological mother, Joanne Schieble, an unwed graduate student, reluctantly gave her son up for adoption in 1955 interested me. The reason for her concern was that she wanted her son to be adopted by parents who were educated and would promise to send their son to college. The adoptive parents, Paul and Clara Jobs did agree however Steve did not see the sense to it years later. His biological father was Abdulfattah John Jandali, a Syrian man with whom Steve never reconciled

John, his father left Syria at 18 to study at the American University in Beirut, where he was a pan-Arab activist, a "supporter of Arab unity and Arab independence" who organized with some of the most famous activists of his time. After university, he moved to the United States, and the rest is history, though he regreted leaving his homeland. He eventually married Joanne after Steve was adopted 10 months later and had Mona. However he left his wife and daughter at age 4 returning back to Syria. Mona never forgave her father and had nothing to do with him.

Was it because he was a self absorbed, arrogant man who left his young daughter leaving her and her mother for ten years to return to Syria because he believed the culture was better than our country? It appears I have seen nothing published to answer my query. It was a mystery at 27 years old how Steve found his sister, Mona Simpson who later became a famous novelist. Both brother and sister had nothing to do with their father. Mona took her last name from her mother's second husband

Through her, he found his biological mother who now is in a nursing home suffering from advanced dementia. She is 79 years old and is unaware that Steve died. Below is a picture of Steve Jobs father, Abdulfattah John Jandali, with his mother Joanne Simpson who later remarried.

The reason I feel this is so tragic is he finally found his mother and doubt she was aware of her son's greatness and achievements. I read he took her to several events. But it is unknown the level of her health at that time

The happy part is finding a devoted sister catching up with all the years missed and having a loving relationship till the end.

Further, it is wonderful to accept his out of wedlock daughter, having a wonderful relationship with her after so many years not accepting her. Knowing how bad that was for him as an adopted child wondering who/where your biological parents are, surprises me that he took so long to get it right.

Nothing was mentioned how Steve Jobs adoptive parents passed away?

It is such a shame with all Steve Jobs money, he could not save his mother nor his life.

Your comments?

Biological parents Abdulfattah John Jandali and Joanne Simpson in the nursing home

"THE HELP" MY STORY

2011-08-20T13:55:00.006-04:00

‘The Help’ a movie and best selling book, tells a story about black maids during the 60's in Mississippi. It brought back memories of my own childhood born and raised in Brooklyn New York, not down south.

Both my parents worked in a middle class neighborhood. It was a time in 40’s when people were moving away to the suburbs, men and women were returning home from the war, while others were migrating to America from Europe for a better life.

Hardworking, my parents had little time to give me the attention I craved, although I was loved very much. They hired maids at different times to clean, cook and take care of me. As a young child about less than seven years old, I resented their presence around me. Their skin was different than mine and I was taught not to touch them because they were dirty, and carried diseases. It was as though they were an alien race.

So, if they were unclean, why would my parents allow them to take care of me? Why would they allow them to touch our food, wash our dishes, and give me baths? All these questions bothered me till this day. It just seemed stupid, ignorant and hypocritical.

Looking poor with raggedy clothes, I remember the cleaning women carrying shopping bags and wearing kerchiefs over their hair. They were poor indeed. Most were uneducated and could not obtain decent jobs.

Watching the movie “The Help” I could not get over how a white family built a separate bathroom for their help because they feared catching diseases from them. Yet they were not diseased enough to touch and clean their own white children and household. Those prejudices never made any sense to me. Although I get unsatisfying answers such as “it was just a way of life back then”

When I grew up and had my own children, I too had a business that took me away from my home and children most of the day. I had little choice but to hire help, a young black girl from Alabama. She must have been around sixteen years old, although the agency said she was much older. Mona had a strong southern accent and was very eager to learn how tend chores. She had her own room on the same floor as ours. We insisted she ate with us and we made her feel like part of our family.

Our boys were about three and five years old when Mona came to live with us. My father was just recuperating from a recent heart attack and was staying with us.. Mona and our family were supposed to take care of him, watching his food intake to make sure salt was eliminated from his diet.

One day Mona asked me to take her to a beauty parlor that knew how to treat her hair. She had a scalp problem that needed attention. I was to pick her up later that day. While there, Mona was approached by black church going ladies. As they were befriending her, they asked her questions about where she was from, and what she was doing. When they heard she was a maid, they became outraged. It took many years for the black community to rise above slavery, rise above lower class, to become prosperous people in the community. In the 60’s, unlike the south, Mona was among those of her color, who were educated, owned homes and were helpful in the church going community. It was a very sensitive time for the black community They gathered around her and took her under their wing. They instigated her into leaving our household at once. When I picked Mona up from the beauty parlor she did not say much except to say the ladies were surprised a young girl her age was a maid. It was a way of life down south though. I suggested she go to night school and that I would help her.

The following day, I had an appointment in the city leaving Mona in charge of the household and my father. I came home later that evening to find Mona gone. My father was ill and had not eaten. My young children were running around the neighborhood unattended. Mona was gone. I drove through the neighborhood to find her and went to her beauty parlor but she was not there.

Days went by as I was trying to find another sleep in maid. It was difficult to run my business without help and I could not abandon my father and my children. My husband was an officer of a public company at that time and kept long hours at the office.

After one month, I received a call from Mona, asking to come back. I refused, telling her she left her responsibilities without notice and it was not acceptable. I refused to forgive her.

A week later I got a call from her lady friends asking me to forgive her. I refused. Then they came over to my house, nicely dressed in their church clothes. I could not give her another chance. A week later, her Reverend called to ask me to forgive her. I apologized to the Reverend and stood my ground. There was no forgiveness leaving a sick elderly man with two small children unattended all day. Besides, Mona was too young to be a maid and agreed the ladies were right, Mona needed to go back to school

It seemed that those very nice ladies were right in their thinking. They really wanted to help this young lady. However they did not teach her about responsibility and giving notice to leave employment. They did not teach her that it was wrong to just walk out leaving young children unattended.

They were stuck with her. She was uneducated, they had to feed her, cloth her and provide for her and pay for her medical needs . She became a liability to them. However, they refused to send her out to be a maid again.

Still thinking of her at times, I feel assured Mona had a tremendous support system in her new community at that time, and decided to go back to school. I sincerely hope she completed her education, acquired a good job and has a nice life with a loving husband and a family of her own.

Email: Iris@pushthewheel.com
Please click on COMMENT if you wish to add your comment

DOGS HAVE LITTLE RIGHTS

2011-07-25T13:04:00.008-04:00

Most dogs have a very acute sense of smell. They can find their way back to their homes from miles away. Humans do not have that sense. Dogs have the sense to know which person is safe to be with while others are not. They can sense a very bad or dangerous person as well. They know where you have a wound, or where you are hurting. With proper training dogs can detect drugs, dead bodies, etc.

Dogs give us unconditional love and loyalty. All they require is to be loved and taken care of in return. We try to take every precaution when we are out in public to protect our little dog as well as others passing by.

Once a lady approached Mindy whereby I immediately warned her to step back. She said she loves dogs and put her face close to our dog's face. My heart stopped for a minute as I did not know how the outcome would be. It was too late to pull the dog away as the lady was kissing Mindy face to face. Mindy loved the lady and all went well. However, I was filled with anxieties until the lady walked away.

Another time, I entered a Lexus dealership with my six pound Maltese dog. She was on a tight leash as I feared her jumping on anyone who came close. A middle aged salesman approached us wanting to pet Mindy. I asked him very nicely to step back, as my dog does not like strangers. Actually that was partly untrue. Mindy loves most people, licking them profusely. However, one in ten, she senses fear with a particular person wanting to snap. Therefore, to protect all concerned, not knowing how she would react to oncoming admirers, I always request those to step back warning she bites.

The salesman at the Lexus dealership also disregarded my warning, saying, "don't be silly, all dogs love me" and proceeded to approach my dog trying to pet her. Mindy snapped at him, leaving a black and blue mark on his hand. A security guard at the dealership came by to take a report. Within weeks, a lawyer's letter was issued, followed with a summons suing me for $5000 for negligence.

When a person is asked to step back and does not oblige, shouldn't that person be guilty? Yet my dog was, according to my insurance company. Perhaps if a man approaches a woman, wanting to touch her and she said "step back" and he doesn't, isn't that called abuse or assault. It is a shame that dogs have no rights to protect them and their owners. Their only rights are animal cruelty.

Recently we had Mindy fixed hoping when she approaches people her nervous sense would diminish a little, calming her down to those she sensed fear. It saddened me, however, for my fear was that she would loose some of her personality and her remarkable sense in people. Time will tell.

EMAIL: iris@pushthewheel.com

If you wish to comment, please click on the underlined comment below this blog

HOW CAN WE PROTECT OUR YOUNG CHILDREN FROM A SEX SICKO

2011-07-16T01:45:00.001-04:00

Feeling the anguish and emotions of the acquittal of Casey Anthony, we became enchanted with the story of Jaycee Dugard's release from sexual imprisonment two years ago. A sex slave for eighteen years, she now has her book published telling about her ordeal. "A Stolen Life"

How did that happen? She was an innocent young eleven year old girl walking to school alone. No doubt a car came by whereby a passenger might have asked for directions then grabbed her into the car. However Jaycee said it was a stun gun that made her paralyzed, making it easier for her captor to carry her into their car.

Now, just the other day, we read about another horror. A little eight year old boy, a hasid with payos(side curls) was brutally murdered then chopped up in pieces. His feet were found in the freezer of the murderer's attic apartment in Brooklyn, New York.

The little boy was Leiby Kletzky who wanted to walk to day camp by himself. The little guy wanted to be independent. His parents protested at first, then after constant persuasion, they reconsidered. They practiced a few trial walks with the boy, making sure he was accustomed to the path of the day camp. His parents were going to meet the young boy half way home.

Unfortunately the young boy got lost and asked a stranger, Levi Aron, an orthodox man who was driving a car for directions. Little did he know that man was a sex maniac. He took the boy to his home, smothered him with a towel, and chopped him up. Little Lelby, however, fought for his life like a man, clawing his attacker with all his might.

Brooklyn has an excellent surveillancee system. They have security cameras on every street light which is how they caught Aron. There is much more to this story about Aron and his reasons for killing the boy. However, my intention is not make this blog longer than it is but to simply send a message.

People, we must protect our children, I know you want them to be street smart, you want them to be worldly and free to travel in their neighborhood independently. But in this day and age we cannot do that. We can tell our children not to talk to strangers, not to accept candy from strangers. We can tell them if you are lost only to ask a lady with children, not a man. We can tell them not to go near a car asking for directions. Yes these warnings will help save your child. However, when your child is lost, for example, they may panic, asking the very first person they see. They may see a nice person in a car, asking for directions and your child may want to be helpful, forgetting your warnings.

But most important, your child needs a buddy system. A buddy, friend, anyone to walk with him/her. Teach your child never to walk alone especially going to school. Going to school is a pattern where a predator or pedophile can watch the child knowing his exact route and timing, just like Jaycee Dugard.

In my humble opinion, a child of eight and older should know what might happen to them as gory as it sounds. Some parents are afraid if you show graphics they may suffer emotionally or have nightmares. As a grandmother who loves my grandchildren, I disagree with those who oppose. It is very important to instill fear. The fear will save their lives.

Your opinion in this matter will be important to all those who read this.

Please comment on this page

JAYCEE DUGARD TELLS HER STORY ... HER CAPTOR CHANGES PLEA

2011-07-11T15:15:00.013-04:00

On September 3, 2009, I wrote my blog about Jaycee Dugard. I was fascinated over her kidnapping when she was just 11 years old. A beautiful bright eyed child with blond hair and big white teeth appeared all over the news stands and poster boards. When she was found after 18 years the whole world cheered. I could not wait for the chance to see what she looked like as well as her children. Jaycee told her daughters Angel and Starlit what their father was really like when they were very upset that their father was in prison.

The family and media protected Jaycee and her girls for privacy. They understood the need for Terry Probyn, Jaycee's mother to get acquainted with her daughter and granddaughters.. Jaycee privacy was respected until such time as she was ready to tell her story.

Last night on the Diane Sawyer ABC's special edition of “Primetime” I eagerly watched Jaycee Dugard. Long waiting to see her for almost two years, I found her to be remarkable. Her complexion was flawless, as she attributed that to her staying indoors most of the time she was held against her will.. Her teeth were as white as snow which amazed me because her captor never gave her medical or dental care even in childbirth.

Looking at her beautiful face, I noticed her plumb figure which I attributed to all the pasta, fast food and junk food she ate with lack of exercise. It was amazing to see her beauty especially after living in such filth. You can see the deplorable pictures of how she lived on my blog posted in September 3, 2009

Jaycee spoke about how she was captured and prisoned in the dark shed in the back yard of Phillip Garrido's home. Scared and confused, she was very lonely with no one to talk to for quite awhile. She spoke of the rapes and how the repeated convicted rapist cried with remorse after each attack. Phillip Garrido tried to make Jaycee feel sympathetic towards him, asking for forgiveness. However those rapes resulted in Jaycee giving birth to two daughters when she was 14 and 17, almost the age her daughters are now.

Although Jaycee had access to the Internet, telephone and outsiders while captive as a sex slave, we were all wondering why she never ran away or called her mother. That was the most leading question asked by Diane Sawyer in the interview, "why didn't you run away?"

Jaycee's honest response was that Phillip Garrido told her the world outside was just as dirty as he, but more dangerous. He made her believe she and her daughters were safer with him. Jaycee felt shamed if confronted with her mother and wondered how she would react with her having his two children. .She further said that Garrido did not touch her again after her second daughter was born. Jaycee was definitely brain washed and appeared to be a text book case of most captives.

"How did you survive and cope with all that abuse", was Sawyer's question. Jaycee said she did the best she could to survive and gathered scrap paper to write a journal of all her thoughts. Little did she know that was the best therepy for anyone who either is being abused, disturbed or in mourning

For convicted sex offender Phillip Garrido, the man who has been charged with the kidnapping and rape of Jaycee, holding her captive and in squalor in his backyard for 18 years, has decided to plead not guilty. That decision was after he previousely pleaded guilty.

Garrido and his wife Nancy's attornies figured due to our judicial system the way it is, I guess if O.J. Simpson and Caysee Anthony could get away with murder, he surely would be free too. After all they kept letting him free after several rapes in the past.

There is always a definite message with each tragedy we read in the paper. We must learn from it to protect our love ones, I said this before in recent blogs. Teach your kids to have a buddy system. Do not let them walk alone to school or after school activities..The world is not the way it was when we were kids. Yes, we did have kidnappers then, and we did have predators. Yes there were rapists and evil people. But the reasons this world has changed are due to the fact prisons let the crazy people and the repeated rapists out early. In addition there are more drugs entering our country now than ever before and our government chooses does not have the financial means or the man power to police our safety as they did years ago.

Jaycee Dugard's tell all book will be out tomorrow "A Stolen Life" I intend to purchase a copy.

The book was about her memoirs during her captivity which ultimately kept her sane

CAYLEE'S LAW FOR MISSING CHILDREN

2011-07-06T15:18:00.008-04:00

Today is the day we finally morn for little Caylee. We are all venting, and shocked by the verdict of NOT GUILTY in the Casey Amthony case. She was only convicted of four misdemeanor counts of lying to investigators and police The system failed to give the little girl justice. Little Caylee had relied on her mother and grandparents to keep her safe. Like all loved ones, she was entitled to a final resting place with prayers and comfort from friends and relatives who loved her. Not to be dumped into a swamp like a piece of garbage. She also relied on our court system and laws to protect her and all of us.

So what happened here? The prosecutor presented their case way before the trial. They painted a horrid picture of her mother Casey. They showed elaborate evidence proving Casey’s need for freedom from motherhood. Or did she just want freedom for a one night stand, chloroforming Caylee just to keep her asleep safely in her bed. After all, she did go on the Internet to learn more about it making sure it could be safe. But the child must have cried. Afraid to chloroform her more, she probably covered her little mouth with tape. Perhaps the little tot had a cold and could not breath out of her nose. (giving Casey the benefit of the doubt) although the prosecutor claimed differently. But there was no proof of this.

Did she really want to kill her daughter? The circumstantial evidence was clear. Her investigating on the Internet of Chloroform and to learn how to break a neck. To not report her child missing for 31 days and her death. Casey partied happily while Caylee's body was decomposing, as the pictures of her dancing revealed on TV. But lastly, to have a tattoo saying Bella Vita (beautiful life) Your child is dead, you are supposed to morn, so you buy a tattoo to say Bella Vita? None of these actions were ever refuted. They were all true. Yet Casey goes free. There was little evidence of the smell of death and the little girls hair in the trunk.

Years ago, circumstantial evidence has put many people in prisons and death row. Today we have forensic scientific technology which is supposed to protect the innocent. So let’s think about it for a minute. Doesn’t it also protect the guilty?

Casey was not smart enough to plan her defense. Her father was a law enforcement officer who knew that if a body is decomposed for a certain amount of time, no evidence would be found. He probably advised Casey to lie and stall as long as possible for a certain amount of time until all evidence would be gone. Claiming her father abused her was probably absurd just to rectify Casey’s wild irresponsible actions.

Attorney Jose Baez, Casey’s attorney was an average lawyer, not a high profile one as OJ Simpson's. It seemed he would have a difficult time defending Casey. However, the case was very simple. Anyone could have done the job. When the prosecutor gave the evidence of the chloroform searching on the web and the drinking partying, etc., Baez created doubt and gave a different reason of Caylee’s death by dying in the the swimming pool. He created loads of doubt. Was there proof of that? NO

In my humble opinion there were more evidence of searching for chloroform than Caylee dying in the pool. Baez could have mentioned other causes of death however all he needed was to divert attention away from Casey, and her wild lifestyle and to focus on other scenarios that caused doubt. The judge made it absolutely clear. If there was any doubt what so ever you must find her NOT GUILTY.

Since there were no witnesses, finger prints, DNA or any concrete proof, the jury had no other option but to find her NOT GUILTY of murder. I feel sorry for them as they have to face the public each day. Even Jeff Ashton, lead prosecutor announced he would be retiring end of the week after 30 years as a prosecutor. What does this tell us?

And, Casey, although smiling and happy now, will be in exile for the rest of her life. She will be scorned and alone with little hope of a good life. Her conscience will get the best of her some day She will get rich on TV appearances, book projects and movie deals. But for the rest of her life she will be living in hell.

In honor of Caylee, we should enforce a new Caylee's law making it mandatory to report a missing child. Today the law says that after 48 hours a parent can report a missing child or person but there is no law that makes it a crime not to report a missing child immediately. Perhaps if there were such a law, we would have found Caylee’s body enough time to produce proper evidence.

Note: Only law enforcement agencies can request activation of a Missing Child Alert. If you would like to report a missing person, please contact your local police department or sheriff’s office first, then contact MEPIC at 1-888-FL MISSING (356-4774).

“Suzanne’s Law” amends Section 3701 (a) of the Crime Control Act of 1990 so that there is no waiting period before law enforcement agency initiates an investigation of a missing person under the age of twenty one and reports the missing person to the National Crime Information Center of the Department of Justice.

“Suzanne’s Law” is named after Suzanne Lyall, a student at State University of New York at Albany, who has been missing since 1998

Now we need a law making it a crime not to report a missing child or person. Please comment as a petition to make this a law

GERALDO RIVERA AND CASEY ANTHONY SHOCKING REPORT

2011-06-13T23:05:00.015-04:00

Geraldo Rivera shocked viewers once again tonight on Fox News. I was always a fan of his, as I thought he had a brilliant mind. But tonight I was shocked to hear his opposition on the death penalty of Casey Anthony because she only killed one child and not many others. He said we should save the death penalty for those who kill several people.

His contention was that little Caylee was never mistreated prior, always looked well taken care of and did not appear to have been tortured. I have some questions. How does he know so much about Caylee that he was so sure she was never abused? The fact that Casey probably chloroformed her daughter taping her mouth so her cries would not be heard could have been very often. Wouldn't that be abuse? Too bad he does not know other horrors that perhaps only God knew what Casey might have done to that poor child. Just because he did not see any scars or bruises, how does he know they might have been hidden inside of her?

Researching various web sites on "How many parents chloroform their kids each year ". http://wiki.answers.com/ answered 19 thousand. Many, unlike Casey researched it on the Internet making sure it was safe. In Casey's case, she researched it however her intent was to kill her daughter by applying duct tape on her mouth and nose to end her little life. And to end it sweetly, she drew a heart shape on the tape covering her little mouth.

Many rely on Snopes for their answers: Knocking kids out with chloroform? -authors - Last post: Oct 26, 2008 stated " But I have never heard any tale of chloroform, and if that were happening commonly, would there not be many dead children or children in ERs " Thus the parents feel chlorform is safe. Snopes said so

In the British Journel, "These and numberless instances proving that there are without doubt two sets of cases in which lives are endangered or lost, where the heart's action is stopped, and when the breathing ceases. PARENTS TAKE NOTE. Stop giving your kids sleeping pills or chloroform to make your life easier.

I will assume Geraldo got his information from Casey's parents, watching videos of Caylee smiling and having fun playing with mommy. But what happened after the camera was turned off the child and the doors were closed? Further, a mother like Casey who acted the way she did, partying, the many lies, and deceiving her family, knowing her child recently died can only mean she is psychotic. If so how did she become psychotic? What kind of abuse did she endure to have made her that way? Is her family guilty as well? Who knows the evil horror Casey went through in her childhood? With that said, that is not enough to set her free. There are too many children today being abused and killed by their parents. It is time to send a message. "If they die, you die!

Is Geraldo sending messages to unstable sick parents saying it is okay to kill your child? " Don't worry, you wont get the death penalty. Our system will pay for your legal team to get you off. We will just let you say one lie after another to cause doubt, and perhaps get you off with a mental illness."

Why couldn't Geraldo simply say, Casey is psychotic, probably has a split personality and must be committed to an institution for 5 yrs and therefore not be sentenced to death.

Anyone remember the book Sybil?. She had 16 separate multiple split personalities caused by serious abuse by her mentally ill mother. She looked well fed, well clothed. No one knew the hidden scars within her. Her mother gave her enemas frequently until water came out of her mouth. She inserted sharp objects into her private parts, and many more horrific acts of abuse. Read the book, It was also a movie back in 1976

Jaycee Lee Dugard appeared normal as well as her children. No one thought anything wrong until one day someone got suspicious of the unkept looking children. Jaycee and her children were returned to her family after 18 years of enslavement and rape.

Read my blog September , 2009 on Jaycee Lee Dugard watch video and pictures

What are your thoughts. Please comment below

BASHERT

2011-06-02T23:58:00.004-04:00

While recuperating from my recent illness, I developed writers block. To stop being self absorbed with feeling tired all the time, I started reading my emails from faithful readers. One comes to mind. Her name is Marlene. She titled her email "BASHERT" Marlene mentioned she visited a town unexpectedly, and on the street she met a Chassidic man who approached her. After discussing who he was and where he came from, it turned out he was a grandson of a Cantor she knew in her home town. It was Bashert she took that path on the street to meet someone from Jewish Geography.

BASHERT means “fate” a word most Jewish people use pertaining to fate. When people don't have an answer to why something happened, they say its bashert. Or perhaps a coincidence occurs, they say it is bashert. They romanticize, for example, the whole idea of a guy and a girl meeting. It was fate that put them together. Gentiles also like to think that relationships come from fate, but they don't put quite as much stock in it as Jews do. To find the right mate, gentiles think you have to travel around a lot, meet people, join three hundred singles groups, vacation with Club Med, attend a matching session, go to another group, then to a singles bar. Finally, you meet someone. And they say "that is fate."

We have all heard of Jewish geography. Put ten people in a room, find out where they are from, and mention some people you know from their town and for sure they will know someone.

BASHERT: When I was a teenager, I decided after going to Camp Olympus for seven years I 'd try Camp Na Sho Pa. It was Bashert I picked that camp as that is where I met my husband.

BASHERT: In my previous blogs on Psychics, it was Bashert when I could not go to the beach that warm day and had to finish cleaning my garage. It was Bashert I found my lost diamond ring on the floor missing for several months. (Read my past blog on "HOW I FOUND MY LOST TREASURE." March 6, 2011)

BASHERT: My son did not want to go to college and wanted to find himself climbing a mountain and learn how to survive in the wilderness all for $1000. Although I was against it, my husband said he should get it out of his system. He paid the fee. Worried about what kind of idiots he might meet there, it was Bashert, they were all medical students, chiropractors and doctors. He was the youngest in the group. When they learned about his lack of confidence, they took him under their wing giving him guidance and recommended a school in Wisconsin that would accept him. It was Bashert they influenced him in the right direction where we couldn't. (Read my 2/20/2011 blog on "WHAT ABOUT PSYCHICS, ASTROLOGERS AND SPIRITS OF THE DEAD")

BASHERT: An unexpected force drove me to a nearby office asking for a job. I had no idea they were planning on advertising for someone to bring in more sales. After a few interviews I was hired.

Did fate come into your life? Was it Bashert for you? Please click on the comment box below. Would love to hear other stories.

WHY MY RECENT BLOGS WERE MISSING

2011-05-25T21:45:00.009-04:00

I must apologize to my faithful readers for not blogging recently. I had no idea I was missed. Recently emails were sent to me asking if I was okay as they have not read anything new. Others who knew me asked the same question. Curious, I checked with Sitemeter which tells me how many visits went into my website during my absence. I never knew who they were. To my surprise, without sending out announcements of a new blog, I was getting almost the same amount of hits as if I sent out emails. It was very gratifying to me and has inspired me to continue writing.

The truth is, I was quite ill and did not realize it. I was getting a strange feeling in my chest. Although it was not painful, it felt as if I had gas or indigestion. It lasted 2 minutes then went away. However, every evening at about the same time it returned for another two minutes. At the same time my molar teeth were hurting. My jaw did not bother me, but felt weird. I was having a problem with vertigo, and a painful tooth prior to this. That was why I had been ignoring those symptoms, My arm, shoulder and neck, did not bother me as many books claim those are the symptoms of a heart attack. With women, however doctors say heart attack symtoms vary and could be different than men

Anxious to take me to the ER, I promised my husband if that same feeling came back for more than 5 minutes he could take me.

The following morning I received an aggravating phone call. My chest became tight, whereby I could not barely speak and had to hang up on the caller. My doc said later it was angina

After waiting an hour I felt better. That evening at one in the morning, the symptoms came back only this time it lasted 15 minutes. At that point I became frightened and allowed my husband to take me to the hospital.

My EKG was fine but my pressure was 200 over ? They made me stay for observation and a couple of days later I had angioplasty and two stents in my left artery. The doc said I was very lucky, as there were no heart or muscle damage. However I must take loads of pills forever. Diet and exercise will now be my new way of life.

Released from the hospital, I had a couple of days to shop for Passover. Excitedly, my daughter and her family were flying down to Florida to spend the holidays with us. I was thankful to be alive to see my family come together. I was equally thankful to have lived for that moment listening and watching our 14 year old grandson lead the Seder and our younger grandson and granddaughter "ask the four questions".

TO EAT OR NOT TO EAT "MEAT GLUE"

2011-04-02T00:10:00.004-04:00

For years I've heard some say eating processed salami, bologna, ham, turkey breast, etc are not healthy. Those foods contained sodium, however I never heard they contained meat glue.

We have been bombarded with beware stories of so many things, you could go crazy. Some closed their ears and eyes continuing to do what they have always done. I, however, keep the door a little open and observe what's been told.

Just the other day, On AOL news I learned of meat glue. The secret was just released. After hearing about it, the horrid news was on my mind for days. I researched until I was blue in the face and wish to report my findings to you for quick reference

Meat glue called Transglutaminases was first known in 1959. The exact biochemical activity of transglutaminases was discovered in blood coagulation protein factor XIII in 1968.

Meat glue is an enzyme composed of thrombin and fibrogen, obtained from blood plasma. It can be used by the meat industry as a food additive for reconstituting fresh meat. In commercial food processing, transglutaminase is used to bond proteins together. Examples of foods made using ham, Bologna salami turkey breast. It combines small pieces of meat, making one larger steak.

TG is delivered as a powder and, like all powders, should not be inhaled. TG should not be consumed directly in large quantities, but consuming active TG in the levels recommended for food usage is harmless. (so they say) TG is classified by the FDA as a GRAS product (generally recognized as safe) when used properly. Although some studies have shown that stomach enzymes have difficulty breaking down proteins after they have been bonded by TG, other studies have shown that these bonded proteins are absorbed and broken down in the body into normal products as though they had never been bonded. (two different therories

When TG-ases are improperly regulated in the body, they are associated with very bad things like the plaques in the brains of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s disease patients as well as in the development of cataracts in the eyes, arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), various skin disorders, etc*. None of these are related to eating food made with mTG, but rather due to imbalances in the body’s ability to regulate the TG that it produces. Isn't that what they say about how people get cancer. It is not the food but how the body reacts to the food. "does not sound right to me"

Ajinomoto is the only producer of food grade TG, marketed under the brand name Activa (not Activia, which is a pro-biotic yogurt for women). Ajinomoto claims TG is safe, natural, and easy to use. In the kitchen, TG is primarily used to produce special effects, like peanut butter noodles, shrimp spaghetti, meat, fish, poultry, dairy products, and bread.

Safety isn’t uppermost in consumer’s minds. The outrage which lead to meat glue being banned in the E.U. focused on paying premium prices for inferior foods. Yet how much of the blood-clotting enzyme gets into the bloodstream through the skin – a concern for food workers – or through the mucous membranes when we put glued food in our mouths? Nobody knows.

In other words, meat glue allows the manufacturer to economize at the expense of the consumer, who gets less protein in his yogurt but enjoys the mouthful of the real thing.
One could absorb blood-clotting enzyme without suspecting it.

It’s very difficult to tell if the food on your plate has been glued. Most people can’t taste transglutaminase. The seams that join disparate pieces of flesh are hardly visible. And a nice, smooth puree could be just that, or a slurry of meat or vegetables made smoother with gelatin and our friend, meat glue.

On Thursday, May 20, 2010, the European Parliament voted to ban bovine. Another consideration EU lawmakers considered was the higher risk of bacterial infection in meat products created with thrombin, due to the larger surface area of meat and the cold bonding process that is used and porcine thrombin used as an additive to bind separate pieces of meat together into one piece.

Meanwhile, others said that "consumers in Europe should be able to trust that they are buying a real steak or ham, not pieces of meat that have been glued together," and "beyond this specific case, the European Parliament has sent a political message to the Commission defending transparency towards the consumer and refusing to accept poor quality food". And I heard that Europe has refused shipments of our meat.

Be suspicious of perfectly round slices of meat or fish in restaurants and perfectly round logs of beef in the supermarket. Novelty foods, like shrimp noodles or quinoa chips, are surely synthetically bound. In any case, ask the restaurateur or the butcher, and hope they give you an honest answer. I think we should all demand more labelling. We have the right to know everything about what we consume.

Below are some clips you might find interesting. One was from chef Wylie Dufresne, a leader in molecular gastronomy, owner and chef of the prestigious WD-50 restaurant in New York, and winner of culinary prizes. The lecture was given at the Harvard school of science and engineering. The audience, all sciences students, watched in rapt fascination. Nobody seemed to be thinking how unnatural it is to eat synthetically transformed food. But what got me crazy was there was a Q & A after the presentation and no one questioned cooking with plastic. Harmful chemicals can migrate into food cooked in plastic containers or covered in plastic wrap. Please read my Nov 27 2010.

PUSH THE WHEEL: ARE WE REHEATING OUR LEFTOVERS WITH PLASTIC WRAP

WHAT ABOUT CAB DRIVERS IN NYC

2011-03-28T02:05:00.006-04:00

It was the winter of 1967 and the beginning of my costume jewelry business. I was meeting the editor of Mademoiselle magazine who was very interested in my costume jewelry line. But first I had to make a stop at a boutique in Great Neck to deliver an order and pick up cash. When I arrived in the city I found a great parking spot in front of the stores on Lexington Ave. I put money in the meter and all I had to do was walk a block to her office. Wearing a thin coat seemed appropriate as the weather was sunny and not too cool.

The editor was a young attractive woman who liked my creations. She handed me a bone bracelet and asked me to find the beads that matched to create some jewelry pieces for her. If she liked them she promised to give me a free editorial in her magazine.

Overwhelmed with joy, I left her office to head for home. Our sleep in maid was watching our young boys and we planned a Christmas vacation in Florida the following day. Arriving at my parking spot I noticed my car was missing. Running into the nearby store, I asked if they noticed anything wrong. They told me I was parked in an illegal parking spot. "How can that be", I cried. I inserted the coins into the meter. There were no signs" The store keeper said there was a sign all the way down at the end of the block. "Who would know that" I cried." I live in a suburb and did not know about the rules on that street."

The weather was getting cooler as the sun went in. I was dressed in my short mini skirt, high white boots, a Fall hair piece which was in style in those days and a thin coat. I ran to a nearby telephone booth and told my husband about my car being towed. He was a president of a public company at that time and in the middle of a meeting. " Don't worry, I will come and get you. Meet me on the south west corner of Lexington Ave." He said

Walking up the street, I approached a few people asking them where the South West corner was. They all looked at me as if I was crazy and nodded that they did not know. After an hour of looking for him, I was starting to feel chilled because the weather was getting very bad with rain and sleet. My hair was soaking wet with the alcohol from my Fall running down into my face and burning my eyes.

Thinking I was fortunate to make that stop earlier at the boutique shop picking up some cash, I decided to hail a cab. It was dark at 6:30 in the evening and many cabs were occupied with passengers.

Whenever I saw a cab with their lights on I jumped in, only to have them ask me to get out as they were heading home. After the 10th cab, I pleaded with a cab driver to please take me to the pound were all the towed vehicles were. Every minute the weather was getting nastier and I found myself shivering. "Please, I beg you, I have children home waiting for me. I am tired, hungry and cold. Please do not make me get out" I cried. Okay lady, take it easy. I will take you to the pound. I was on my way home, but I will take you." His accent sounded like a foreigner from India, or from a Muslim country.

The snow was coming down heavier, and I could not stop shivering. Riding up town, the cab driver stopped his cab and said he had to get out of the cab for a minute. He told me to wait there and not get out. When he left, fear came over me. I was horrified over what might come next. "He is getting his friends to rape me", I thought. "GET OUT OF THE CAR, I kept saying to myself, GET OUT, GET OUT. But I was cold, tired, scared, afraid to move. "What was taking him so long. Where did he go?" I wondered

Fifteen minutes later he came back to the cab alone (thank God) with a hot cup of coffee for me.

GOD BLESS HIM!

HOW I FOUND MY LOST TREASURE

2011-03-06T11:32:00.006-05:00

After many years of wearing my engagement ring, I noticed a chip on the edge of the diamond. A jeweler suggested cutting it down to keep its value. Pondering the decision to make my stone smaller, I took it to the diamond institute to map my stone. I wanted to insure my returned diamond was mine after it was cut smaller.

Extremely disappointed over the new size of my stone, after it was cut, I had no desire to purchase a ring setting. However until I figured out what to do with it, I temporarily set it in my mother's eternity diamond ring. My mother passed away leaving me heartbroken. I had the ring widened to fit my finger. Some people gave me compliments while others said it did not belong. Years later it became stylish.

After wearing my ring for several years I noticed a cut in the eternity band where they resized it. It seemed safe as it did not expand. I was waiting for my next trip to New York to take it to the Jewelry Exchange where most jewelers send their work.

Preparing to attend a party, I could not find my ring. I went crazy because it was always with me. "Did I take it off and not remember," I thought. I searched everywhere and afterwards having the cleanest draws and closets in the world.

Months went by leaving my mind tormented and heartbroken. Although I was once very disappointed with the size, I realized the sentimental feelings and history I had with my diamond and my mother's ring.

One day, shopping in the mall, a lady approached me in front of Estee Lauder's cosmetic counter. She was sitting at a bridge table asking me if I wanted my fortune told. Passing her by saying "no thank you", my mind was not on nonsense. Walking a few steps past her, I reconsidered and thought "hmm maybe she might have common sense and suggest where I put my ring.

Walking back to her table, I agreed to sit down and let her do her thing. After all, it was free. She dealt her cards. Not remembering all too well what kind of cards she drew, the first startling thing she said was "you are married to a very mild mannered man" Without telling her anything about myself, other than loosing my engagement stone set in my mothers diamond wedding band. "how did you know that?", I asked. She said, "lets continue" the next card said I was very sensitive and kind hearted and some take advantage of me."that's incredible" I thought. The next card she drew was a 7. She asked me what the number 7 meant to me. I said, "my birthday is in July the 7th month. The number of my house is 7. My son got married on the 7th day of January, and "oh, yes, my mother's birthday was on the same date January 7."

"Let's use the number 7 for your mother's birthday because it was her ring you lost" Picking another card, she said "your mother will return your ring on or about Jan 7th and she will forgive you. Trying not to believe her, "How did she know my mother was angry with me before she passed." My mother wanted desperately to get out of the hospital where I took her. They were short staffed and were not attentive to her needs. We were waiting to find a doctor at another hospital to admit her when she passed. Never telling anyone about that day, I just dismissed it as a lucky guess.

January 2nd I decided to clean my garage by moving everything out and sweeping up. Using a dust pan with all the dirt in it, I noticed a crystal sparkling thing set in the dirt. Picking it up, I noticed it was half my ring with the diamond. The other half was missing. After screaming "Oh my God" several times, I ran to the phone calling everyone who knew my anguish.. Hours later I returned to the garage to finish the dirty task. Moving a big TV from where it was sitting for years, I swept that spot and found the other half.

All the births of my children were surprising events in my life especially having a girl after two boys . The return of my ring was indeed the second best surprise.

Question: How did the psychic know?

"ON OR ABOUT JAN 7 YOUR MOTHER WILL RETURN YOUR RING"

WHY THE ASTROLOGERS SHOOK WITH FEAR FOR ME

2011-02-26T01:13:00.002-05:00

One day, my husband suggested I go to the library near where we lived, as they were having a meeting for women in business. He thought it might be a good idea to network with other business women, since I worked with him in business.

The meeting started promptly at 7 PM. Attending late, I found a seat tightly squeezed between others around a large conference table. To my astonishment, the meeting was being conducted by a well known psychic who is an astrologer and two of her assistants.

As soon as I was seated I heard the psychic say to one woman, "your husband is going to make a move shortly. "Will I be making the move with him?" the lady asked. The astrologer said, "No my dear, I am afraid not." I saw the sadness of the lady's face and I became annoyed being there. I wanted to get up from my seat, however it would have caused everyone on my side to get up to make room for me to leave.

The astrologer went on with other people saying "you will be coming into money" Or ' Did you have an accident lately?" All I could think about was being angry with my husband to suggest coming to this meeting. Although he was unaware the entertainment was about astrology.

Each person had to submit their birthdays, time of birth, and their name. When it was my turn, I wanted to run out the door fast. I did not want to hear gloom and doom besides I thought it was just pure nonsense.

"You're coming into a lot of money" she said to me. "Sure" I thought. I get checks coming in every day from our business. That is a no brainier. There were two young girls behind her who were reading my charts and passing the information to her. She just froze and shook a little. I did not like their expressions. "Do you have a female in your life?" was another question. "Of course, " I said, thinking everyone has a female in their lives. "May I ask who they are, please" "Well", I said, " my mother who is ill with asthma, my daughter who is away at college, my new daughter in law, and a new girl friend of my older son. I have two female dogs.

"Okay everyone, lets take a break" she said without finishing my reading. She aroused my curiosity and I did not like it one bit. In those days, almost everyone was smoking. During the break, I went over to her and asked how much she charged. She said she gets $50 for half hour. "Why would anyone pay you so much money to find out about terrible things? You make us all feed bad" I said. Her answer was that many people are in relationships and do not know how it will turn out. Some news are better than others.

"Please tell me why my reading shook you up" I asked. "Don't worry" she said as she was patting me on my back. "Everything will be alright" "What is going to be alright" I demanded. At that moment people came up to us and asked the astrologer questions. She drifted away from me. I went to her assistants asking them about my reading. "It's okay, don't worry. They did not tell me. I left the library feeling very uneasy, convincing myself it was all nonsense.

The next evening, I went shopping with a friend who's daughter went to the same sleep a way camp as mine. We were buying candy and goodies to bring to camp on visiting day that coming weekend. We stopped for coffee and chatted awhile when suddenly I had a terrible thought in my mind. I imagined someone was hanging from the ceiling of our circular stairway at home. I could not see an image but it was unbelievably real. I excused myself and asked that we leave at once. I just had to get home.

As soon as I opened the door my husband sadly told me horrible news. Pixie, our adorable female dog died.. My husband put our poodle, Coco and Pixie, a terrier poodle mix together outside on our sun deck off our sitting room. He tied Pixie on a long leash because she caused damage to our glass pane doors.

There were shootings and fireworks behind our house. Pixie obviously wanted to escape and forgot she was tied up and jumped over the railing. She fatally hung herself. Pixie was my daughter's dog. Cocoa was the family's dog.

I remember shopping for a dog with my daughter. She wanted a little dog of her own. Kennel after kennel and no dog with a chemistry to take home. I remember her saying, "what do you mean you have to pick a dog with chemistry. She would have picked any dog. Sure enough my daughter found the one we both loved and took her home.

The following day we went to my daughter's camp on visiting day and didn't tell her about what happened to her dog. We thought it best to wait till she came home. In the arts and craft shack, my daughter showed us a beautiful leather collar she made for Pixie with her name painted on it.

The following Monday back at our home, I got a call from my mother, who at that time always called me collect."Iris, I am mailing you a check I got from winning a court case. I want you to have it" Thinking of what happened to Pixie and the psychic telling me I was coming into money, I responded "Mom, put it in your account. When I come to Florida to visit you, we will decide what to do with the money" I was so nervous about the chain of events. I was feared if she gave me the money something bad would happened to her. For years my mother has been in and out of the hospitals frequently. I also was concerned for my daughter, daughter in law and any other female in my life.

During that week my head was spinning. Shopping in town, I recognized one of the ladies who was at that library meeting. I never saw her before nor after that day. Approaching her, I asked if she believed in that psychic crap. She asked me if I had a few moments and suggested we go across the street to Burger King for coffee. This is how she answered me. " I am an art collector. I was being sued for a lot of money it was bothering me so I went to a psychic who said I was going to lose big. But in no time flat you will make it back 10 fold"

She continued, "About a few months later a dealer called asking for a painting she had in the attack thinking it would never get sold." She got 10 fold back. Ever since that time she goes to a psychic whenever she has a need to do so. I told her my story and asked what she thought. Was it all a coincidence? "No" she said, "by you refusing to take her money, you may have stopped the chain of events of what could have happened to another female in your life"

Next week My missing diamond and why astrologers, psychics and tarot card readers can be taken seriously

If you had similar experiences, please comment below

WHAT ABOUT PSYCHICS, ASTROLOGERS AND SPIRITS OF THE DEAD

2011-02-20T01:29:00.005-05:00

All of the above were nonsense...until they came into my life. Being careful not to discuss them at first, I am compelled to reveal my experiences with you now.

It was about 28 years ago on a warm Sunday evening, I was preparing a lovely dinner on our deck in New City, NY. The table was set with place mats, our daily china, silverware and drinking glasses. With the sweet aroma of our pine trees, eating outdoors was enjoyable.

It was just the three of us at the table, as our young daughter was in sleep a way camp, and our eldest son was out of town. It was nice to have the time alone with our youngest son, listening to his ideas and discussing plans for his future.

To our disappointment, he told us he did not want to attend college that coming fall. Graduating High School relieved him from all the stress he endured during his last semester. He had no idea what he wanted to do in the future and needed to find himself. We tried reasoning with him until we were blue in our faces. After dinner, dishes still on the table, water still in the glasses, he came up with a shocking suggestion. "I want to go to Outwood Bound, a school to learn how to survive in the wilderness and to learn mountain climbing. It only costs $1000" he said.

My husband and I looked at each other with disbelief. "No way" I said laughing thinking it was a joke. My husband remarked, "if my father and your great grandmother were listening, they would crawl out from their graves to stop you, if we ever consented to let you go." At that very moment, the glass in front of our son shattered into thousands of small pieces.
Naturally we were all stunned and could not figure how that happen. Could it have been the dead spirits of our dear relatives?

Does anyone have a scientific explanation? Please click on the "COMMENTS" below

Next week... Why the astrologists shook with fear and had to take a break after doing my reading

conclusion: A VALENTINE'S DAY MIRACLE

2011-02-12T11:46:00.010-05:00

After six weeks from the time our puppies were born, we began trying to sell them. Unfortunately we could not ask a lot of money because the pups were boutique dogs. (Mutts) The father looked part Lhasa Apsos and Poodle Thus, our pups became Lassa Poos

The first sale came from a couple who lost their business and needed some loving. They could not decide which to purchase so they bought two and named them Buttons and Bows.

The second person was my next door neighbor. A little friend of my daughter's who was in fourth grade. "Can I keep a pup", she asked. “Tell your mom the puppies are $450 each” I said. She came back and said “My mother said I should have it for free” Since they were our neighbors and a best friend of my daughter I agreed to let her have it for free.

The pick of the litter in my opinion was the shortest and cutest. We named him Buggsie and kept him as our pet and companion for his mother.

The last puppy went to a lovely Irish lady. She was very distraught about her dying dog at home, She reasoned if she got a new puppy it would ease her family’s heartache when their old faithful friend demises. The lady explained she wanted to give her son a birthday gift as he was very depressed watching their dying dog lay there day after day. They did not have the heart to take him to the vet to put him down.

A week later, the Irish lady called me on the phone asking me to take the pup back and return her money. “What’s the problem” I asked. "Oh” she said, "my husband said I was a moron for paying too much money for a mutt. The dog does not go to my son and he is very disappointed that the puppy is not friendly."

Since she had the puppy only a week, I suggested she keep it for a couple of weeks. If they all felt the same way, I would gladly give them their money back. “Do you promise” she asked. “ Yes, you have my word”, I said

After two weeks of not hearing from her we looked in the paper every day to see if the Irish Lady put ads in the paper to try to sell the puppy. One week went by then another. Surprisingly we did not hear from her until almost a month later when she finally made the call.

"Mrs Shapiro, I do not know what religion you follow but we are Irish, I want to pray that the Lord bless you forever and ever for suggesting we keep our little puppy for a little while longer" She went on and on about how we should have a good life. "What happened" I asked. Well, the dog follows me around all the time and is inseparable with my husband. He licks him all the time and he loves the little puppy. My son and the puppy play all the time and he is very happy. The best of all, our little puppy kept trying to play with our dying dog,. He has been lying on the ground for months and we do not have the heart to put him to sleep. The little pup kept licking our dog rumping and jumping on him, barking as if to say "Come on get up and play! Well, on Valentines day, our dying dog got up from the ground and started running after the pup all over our yard. Bless you forever"

If you have a similar story, please comment below. Click on the word "comment"

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

A VALENTINE'S DAY MIRACLE

2011-02-09T00:56:00.001-05:00

Many years ago we had a female poodle named Cocoa who had just given birth. Anxieties continued for weeks starting when our daughter came home from sleep a way camp and noticed our little poodle felt heavier than before.

Carefully selecting a highly recommended boarder who had a good reputation watching pets, we vacationed in Florida. Prior to leaving our pet, I warned the lady that my dog was not fixed. I explained I was trying to find a proper stud for her. I asked her to keep my dog away from the other pets.
“Don’t worry, I will keep your little baby in my bedroom away from all the other dogs,” I felt assured all would be well.

When my little girl said “Mommy, you are feeding Cocoa too much.” I just said “yes” continuing to prepare for dinner. “Mommy”, she said “ why are her nipples so red?” Dropping the chicken in the sink, I quickly lifted her up and became horrified

Calling the lady who watched my dog, I told her my dog was pregnant, “Don’t worry, he was a cute little black poodle.” “Does he have papers? ”I asked. “Who are the owners, what are their names and number? I must call them.”

She mentioned the dog owners name and then said, “I’m sorry I cannot tell you any more. I do not want to get into trouble The owner is an attorney."

Looking in the Yellow Pages, I found several telephone numbers with that person’s name. Finally I reached the one who had a black dog. I told the woman my story about our dogs connecting and asked if her dog had AKC papers. “No” she said. He is a mut” He is part Lhasa Apsos and poodle. I asked her what her dog looked like. She told me he was black with a white tuxedo running down his chest. “May I see your dog so that I would know what the puppies will look like."

The woman said “I am very busy and do not have the time to show you my dog, hold on please” While holding I heard her hysterically laughing to her husband telling him about our dogs connecting. He said “don’t talk to her, deny everything and hang up on her “ Please, I am not going to sue you. I just want to see what my pups will look like. I could not bare the thought of having ugly puppies"

She never came by to show me her dog until Cocoa was in labor delivering her first couple of pups. For the last time I called her again pleading to come to my house with her dog. Explaining the markings on the pups were just like her dog’s she came within an hour. As soon as I opened the door she said “Had I’d known sooner, I would have knit a sweater.” Looking at the pups she said “Does this mean we have to celebrate holidays together?”

to be continued..... an unbelievable and touching story

CONCLUSION: KNEE PAIN AND HOW I AVOIDED SURGERY

2011-02-03T23:09:00.001-05:00

For almost 20 years I had been pain free until I started playing tennis again. My knee was hurting like years past. Noticing everyone on the courts wearing knee supports, wrist bands, etc. I figured it was okay for me to purchase a knee support too to help relieve the pressure. But my last day of tennis I had to practically crawl to my car. Walking was impossible.

Living in a different state I went to another orthopedic doctor. I was advised to get arthroscopic knee surgery. Remembering the ordeal prior, I went to my new internist and asked him to prescribe Doxycycline. After his refusal, I researched on Google, typing "knee pain and Doxycycline" Boom, pages and pages of information about the promising effects of the drug. I printed the 20 pages and brought them into my doctor’s office. After he read them, I got a call from his office that my prescription of Doxycycline is waiting for me at the drug store.

Knowing we must be our own advocate, we should always ask questions and acquire information about our health issues. Our doctors are more educated than we are. We rely on them to take good care of us and continue to do research on their patients illnesses. But they are human like the rest of us. They error, and make poor decisions as well. Surprisingly though, they hardly have the time to do research as often as they should.

If we are not feeling better within a reasonable time, it is most important to find a support group and learn from them about the medications they take and the doctors who have treated them satisfactory.
Thankful my doctor took the time to review the information I gave him, I wondered why he was unaware of the wonders of Doxicycline before. For his patients sake and mine, I was glad I made him discover another use of Doxycycline.

The research pointed out that even patients with Fibromyalgia benefited from Doxicycline. Whenever I hear a patient who is suffering from it, I tell them my story and suggest they speak to their doctor in prescribing it for them. Either they do not say anything because they believe their doctor is trying to help them. Others speak about it with their doctors only to have the doctors refuse to prescribe it even if their illness has not improved. I feel helpless watching them suffer and continue to stick to Dr. God's methods.

Wondering why doctors do not prescribe this wonderful drug, perhaps there is a drug shortage from what I am reading in the paper. I also called my Walgreens drug store last week asking if they have 100 milligrams of Doxycycline in stock. Their answer is "their supply is diminishing."
It is scary out there. I think they are trying to save many drugs for life and death situations because it is getting scarce. They are afraid of a pandemic and they do not publicize too much about it.

As for playing tennis again, I made a deal with my knee. I said "knee, if I am good to you and not give you pressure by playung tennis, will you be good to me" It's been a good deal and I am sticking to it.

My knee pain has gone for the past five years. If it ever comes back, I know what I have to do.

Stay well everyone!

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SURGERY

PART 2 - KNEE PAIN AND HOW I AVOIDED SURGERY

2011-01-23T22:43:00.113-05:00

While waiting for another opinion to have knee surgery, I read about Lime Disease being ramped not only where we lived in New City, New York, but all over the world. The paper mentioned symptoms most of which I had. It also listed Lime support groups in every neighborhood.

My husband and I went to one which devastated us. The room was filled with about thirty people. Some consisted of very young teenagers and adults. They all claimed they had knee pain at the beginning of their disease. Most of them had unsuccessful arthroscopic knee surgeries.

Everyone in the room were in poor health. Most needed intravenous every day because the oral antibiotics were not effective. Unfortunately they waited too long for proper treatment. Each person spoke one at a time in orderly manner telling their story. Most said they could not get out of bed each day. They all had mood swings, poor concentration and felt ill. It appeared a spirochete from a tick or a bite from a mosquito invaded their nervous system. The teenagers could not attend school and the adults could not go to work or function normally.

My husband and I looked at each other with complete fear that this was going to happen to me. It was too unbelievable as I was always very healthy up to that point. When it was my turn I spoke about my symptoms which were similar to theirs but definitely not as serious. I said, "Tiredness came often with spells which I could not describe. I found it difficult to concentrate on my business, but still tried pushing myself. I just assumed the symptoms would go away."

When I told them about my planned operation they all gasped at the same time. "DON'T YOU DARE" they said with anger. "The operation will do nothing. You need to be on Doxycycline at once before it is too late. It is an anti-inflammatory as well as an antibiotic. It will never kill the spirochete, but It will put it to sleep for decades stopping them from further damage in the body.. If it should ever wake up and you are feeling pain with similar symptoms, retake Doxycycline." They all tried other antibiotics of which none worked as well as Doxycyline. "But you must take Acidophilus with the antibiotic to avoid yeast infection", they said

They laid out a map of what I had to do. They all recommended the same doctor who will treat my symptoms rather than a blood test. There were only a couple of those doctors in the country and the one they suggested was not too far away from home. They told me most doctors would not treat me unless my blood test shows positive. But their doctors said if my blood was positive I would be helpless and too late to cure me.

The spirochete could have been in my body for years. Perhaps as young as an infant, a mosquito bite could have bit me not knowing how severe it would be later on. Some times we get aches and pains, never attributing it to a spirochete invading our bodies. We think it might be arthritis How many times have we been bitten by a mosquito which developed into a rash? Who ever knew about ticks until it was broad casted everywhere in the 80’s?

This toxin, bug eats into your tissues. It can attack your knee, joints, lungs, heart, nervous system, kidneys, and heart, whatever it can find. It starts attacking usually when there is stress to the body. Usually the first place it hits is in the knees.

After the meeting I took a blood test which thank God was negative. My doctor refused to prescribe the antibiotic because by blood was fine. Therefore I went to the support group's doctor who treats the symptoms rather than the blood test. After completing a long questioner and an examination, he prescribed 100 milligrams of Doxycycline for 30 days.

When the 30 days were up, I was not feeling better. So the doctor prescribed another 30 days of the drug. After I got the new prescription, I hesitated taking the pills. I waited almost a week as I was dubious about taking too much medication.

When the week was up, I was pain free. The full bottle of antibiotics were not used. My original orthopedic doctor told me I was foolish not to have the operation. He said it was like having a marble in my knee whereby the pain would come and go. Eventually if I did not have the operation, my knee would get worse and I would be a cripple in less than 10 years. Luckily I was happy with my decision. I heard so many stories of people who did not have Lyme disease having the surgery. Unfortunately they still suffered with their knees and eventually had to go for knee replacement. There are cases as well that arthroscopic knee surgery was successful in some patients.

For about fifteen years I was pain free. I will never know if I ever did have Lyme Disease. However, the treatment for it helped me. I was well again, playing tennis and walking three miles every day. For a few years I stopped playing tennis when I moved to Florida. But when I started playing again, guess what happened?

Read what my doctor discovered and how my knee pain left me for good.
Next week

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KNEE PAIN - HOW I AVOIDED SURGERY

2011-01-23T21:14:00.004-05:00

Over twenty two years ago, I took my 16 year old daughter to look at a college in Boston. Prior to the trip, I had been lethargic for several months with unexplained spells. Not wanting to disappoint her, we packed an over night bag and started our trip. While driving, my knee started to bother me. The further I drove the more painful it became. I couldn't believe the high level of pain I endured. It felt as though my knee was being sawed off.

Screaming was not what I wanted to do, but found myself actually crying. I never had knee pain prior, nor anything so intense that I could remember. I did not understand how or where this pain came from or what caused it. I wanted to turn back to go home, but we were halfway there. I reasoned with myself that pain eventually goes away. Getting off the exit, I road into town where I purchased a bottle of pain relievers.

Making the best of it, for my daughter's sake, we continued with her plans to be interviewed at Boston University. Afterwards we drove to the popular Quincy Market which is a tourist area and a college hangout. On the weekends entertainers, jugglers, etc., would come out. We enjoyed a lovely lunch and ventured to the mall. Walking was very difficult so I stayed in the car and told her to go alone. That weekend was a nightmare.

Arriving home, I immediately saw my doctor who referred me to an orthopedist. My exray showed a torn cartilage which had to be repaired immediately by arthroscopic knee surgery.

Before undergoing the operation, I was about to go for a second opinion when I read in the paper about an alternative to knee surgery.

How I got rid of the pain for good. ….. continued next week

WHAT ABOUT THE ELDERLY IN THIS JOB MARKET

2011-01-15T13:24:00.004-05:00

Recently I read a blog on AOL about a young woman who was unemployed for two years. Her story won publication with AOL. The title was called The "Forgotten Woman" because she was once a CEO of a successful construction company. Now unemployed like most of us who had great businesses, jobs, and financial income. From that piece she was offered many job offers and hopefully her story will continue to have a happy ending.

There were all sorts of blogs and comments from other unemployed Americans. Some were in their twenties while others were aged in the high fifties. Although heartwarming, no one speaks about the elderly over age sixty. Those who were used to the finer lifestyle and now live in fear as to what will become of them. Some are maxed out on credit cards. Their savings have dwindled down to the minimum and God for bid they wont dare ask their kids for help, as most have their own problems

The job market is almost like a depression these days. How can a healthy elderly person find a good job? Who will hire them? Young employers do not realize the mass amount of successful experiences and knowledge an elderly person can share with his employer. The rewards are definately beneficial.

PUSH THE WHEEL OR GET OFF

2011-01-09T22:44:00.010-05:00

It's January 2011, a time for people to get excited about the new year, a new start, and new opportunities. So what's in store for you?

We take stock in our lives as to where we have been and where we are going. Were we happy, did we accomplish what we wanted, did we make others happy? Were we productive? Did we make enough income to support our families?

Some of us PUSH THE WHEEL. We work very hard at our jobs, sometimes long hours feeling unfulfilled. Are we making enough money for the time and work we put in? Does our employer appreciate our efforts? is this what I want to do the rest of my life? Do we want to continue working long hours and have less time to enjoy family?

Are we so busy fulfilling the needs of our adult children and grandchildren that we realize we have little time to enjoy our lives?

And students; are they working hard at their studies? Do they see little success in their grades?

All of us are PUSHING THE WHEEL doing whatever we have to every day of every week. We have to ask ourselves, is it time to get off the wheel? There are many fortunate people who have pushed the wheel and have seen success and are truly happy. In that case, stay on the wheel and keep pushing.

Hopefully the job market will open up in 2011 to make it easier for those to get off the wheel and try something else. Another wheel may roll down the path to a better life. Perhaps invent another path to push the wheel and help the economy in doing so. This is the time to start doing something you dreamed about before it is too late.

The college student who works hard without success, should evaluate his situation and realize it is not because of him/her, it is because they are on the wrong wheel. Get off that wheel and change your major. I have a cousin who was on probation in college and was given another semester or he would be out. He changed his major and became a world renowned success.

If you are unhappy with your lifestyle, routine, work, whatever, this is the time to try another direction. The wheel is what you are pushing. Get off!

Lets hope for a better economy and more jobs.

Good luck!

Would love to hear about your work or school experience. If you wish to comment below, please do so

WHAT TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT IN 2011

2010-12-31T00:11:00.023-05:00

It's January 2011, a time for people to get excited about the new year, a new start, and new opportunities. So what's in store for you? ...

We start over with a clean slate making sure we do not repeat the same mistakes. We look forward to a brighter future and a better economy.

First lets look back on what we accomplished in the year of 2010

The precious metals have impressively gained in spite of the bounce in the dollar. Gold topped
over $1400 up 28% this year. Silver reached $30 up 77% and Copper up 29%

APPLE, the stock, helped the tech sector which has increased 50% this year after more than doubling in 2009.

Exxon reached new highs along with many other stocks. The Market has been a bull since March of the year 2009..

Consumer confidence dips, home prices still dipping. The jobless report show more jobs being created.

What are we to expect with this new Health Plan? I cannot believe that Speaker of the house, Nancy Pelosi said "we have to pass it to find out the rest of what is in it".

We are waiting for the HS10 food bill to be approved and no one is talking about labeling Genetic Modified foods. How do we know what we are buying? We have the right to know which foods are genetically modified.

Apartment rentals have increased as many homeowners had to vacate their homes. Yet I have seen luxury apartment developments rising

Hybrid and Electric cars and scooters are coming into the country and we will be seeing more and more of them on the road during 2011 and increasing by 2012

What to be careful about in 2011

New social engineering scams. Criminals used various schemes to exploit consumer fear (your account has been compromised!); relationships (my passport and wallet were stolen, send money please!) and greed (you’ve won the lottery!) over the past year. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reports a recent sweepstakes scam that sends consumers emails and letters with fraudulent checks bearing the logos of financial services companies. Expect to see variations of these schemes in the coming year using every channel of communication, including text messages and phone calls.

We were also a victim of a scheme whereby we received a check from a Texas bank with its identical logo along with a letter telling me to cash it and mail a small balance to one of their companies. We were allowed to keep a percentage.

The check had an 800 number. When I called, they confirmed the check was good. Dubiously I looked the bank up on Google, and saw the exact logo, however it did not have an 800 phone number, only a local one. I called the local phone number to confirm the check authenticity. I was told I was the 20th person that called and to destroy the check. It was not theirs.

Another friend told me a similar story of a relative who received a $100,000 check with similar instructions. They called the bank and was told the check was bogus. However the relative decided to take a chance and deposited it. Within a short time, the FBI came to his house and arrested him. He had to pay thousands of dollars to lawyers to get him out of jail. So please be careful.

Someone looking for employment answered an ad on Craig's list who got hurt financially. It was recently reported on the news. I have seen that ad myself as I was looking for a job as well. It listed normal qualifications and asked to submit a resume. Since the ad looked legitimate I submitted mine

Within 24 hours after sending it, I received a reply via email saying "based on my resume I would be perfect for the position" Since the employer is in another country, I would be receiving checks among my other duties, and deposit them in my own account. After a few days, I should send checks to the employer's charities and keep 10% as my commission or wages.

When I read the employer was from another country, I knew right away the ad was bogus. I heard on the radio, complaints from other people who lost their money believing the ad was legitimate. So watch out for this. Some times you can tell if its bogus by the poor grammar and misspelled words on the ads.

Another scam that will happen more frequently: Ladies, never go into crowds with a shoulder bag or purse unless it is securely under your armpit. I am sure you have heard of many people being pick pocketed.

On a brighter note, we look forward to a more prosperous year. The stock market is in rally mode, The dollar is bouncing back, more jobs are being created, and scientists are working diligently looking for ways to cure cancer and other diseases.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my friends, family and loyal readers a very HEALTHY, HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR

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REVERSING DEMENTIA

2010-12-24T11:20:00.011-05:00

Loosing a dear friend from Alzheimer's, watching other friends suffer from slight dementia has captured my interest to understand the disease.

Dementia is a big problem and growing every day. Ten percent of 65-year olds, 25 percent of 75-year olds, and 50 percent of 85-year olds will get Alzheimer's disease at a cost of $60 billion a year to society. Worse, the number of people with Alzheimer's is predicted to triple in the next few decades. It is now the seventh leading cause of death.

From what I understood, genics, drugs and stress had an important role in memory loss and confusion. Drugs play an important role in how we think, feel, react, and deal with emotions.

When we visit our physicians, the first thing they ask is "How do you feel?" If you answered you had a headache, he would say "take this pill", if you cannot sleep, "take this pill", If you are tired, "take a pill." If you have anxieties, "take this pill" and so on. The pharmaceutical companies are thriving.

Do we ever wonder why there are so many car accidents on the road? How many times do you see direction signals of cars that were not supposed to be on. Lights on cars during early evenings that were off. People driving the wrong way and so on. Approximately 80% of all of them are on medication for one reason or another. Either too much or too little is the culprit.

Seniors all fear the aging process. Most believe it is genetic. But there is another way to think about brain aging. The brain responds to all the same insults as the rest of the body. Those are; stress, poor diet, toxins ingested or environmental, lack of exercise or sleep, nutritional deficiencies, underactive thyroid, inflammation,  deficiencies of hormones, vitamins, and omega-3 fats.

From my research I have learned that all we have to do is give the brain a tune-up and we can see miracles says Dr. Mark Hyman, respected medical consultant, New York Times -bestselling author, lecturer, and practicing physician

This is the time when personalized medicine will replace medicine based on diagnosis and disease.

So if you know someone with memory loss, have a good qualified doctor look at all the imbalances that are present and how to fix them. Remember, there will be no one treatment that works for everyone, because everyone is different. But here are some things to think about if you or a loved one are experiencing memory loss or dementia. If all of the above fail, then x-ray, cat scans and other testing should be addressed. If your doctor talks you out of the above, go find another, or call Dr. Hyman. ( I have never met or spoken with him, just researched on Google)

• Pre-diabetes or metabolic syndrome
• Low thyroid function
• Depression
• Deficiencies in B vitamins, especially vitamin B12
• Omega-3 fat deficiencies
• Mercury or other heavy metal toxicity
• Vitamin D deficiency
• High cholesterol
• Unique genes that predispose you to nutritional
   or detoxification problems

Sometimes a subtle change in a persons health could explain reverse dementia. Once you identify the underlying causes of the imbalance, here are a few things that can help your mind get a tune-up:

1. Balance your blood sugar with a whole foods,
   low glycemic diet
2. Exercise daily -- even a 30-minute walk can help
3. Do yoga, deep breathing  exercises
4. Take a multivitamin and mineral supplement
5. Take an omega-3 fat supplement
6. Take extra vitamin B6, B12, and folate
7. Take vitamin D

As we approach the New Year, we have a lot to look forward to. This is just a start, but it can go a long way to giving your brain the chance to heal and recover if you have memory problems. Even if you aren't suffering from cognitive decline, you should take these steps because they can help you prevent the aging of your brain and obtain lifelong health.

I want to wish our friends and families who celebrate Christmas, A Very Healthy and Joyful Holiday

EMAIL: iris@pushthewheel.com

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DEMENTIA A TRUE FUNNY STORY continued part 2

2010-12-18T01:16:00.018-05:00

At the memory center where my friends were having their memory evaluation, they were wiping the tears from their eyes. They were hysterical laughing at their interviewer because the doctor was having a senior moment. "He was about to tell me a story whereby I had to remember it at the end of the session" my friend said. However, pathetically, he forgot the story he was to tell. It was the same one he tells to all his potential patients he screens every day, all day long. "Don't worry", my friend said, "tell me a different one". But the doctor insisted he had to tell that particular story.

"He really took us by surprise", my friend said."Why, I wondered would management allow a doctor with this problem interview and screen potential patients. How could he help a memory deficient patient if he is as well?"

The doctor apologized again and told them he was diagnosed with a certain kind of dementia from sleep apnea. His wife discovered something was wrong when he was driving on the wrong side of the road with traffic coming from the opposite direction. She immediately sent him for tests.

"After explaining his problem we composed ourselves", she said. The doctor told the story he eventually remembered, followed by more questions and answers. The doctor went back to the story he told asking my friend some questions about it.She answered the best she could and thought she did a satisfactory report. However, he said she left out one thing. Therefore, the doctor recommended she go for further testing. "What about my husband?" she asked. "He was the one who came here in the first place? The doc said my husband tested fine. Perhaps in a year or two he can come back for another screening. But right now we are concentrating on you."

The head investigator came into the office introducing himself, to further explain to my friends her probable condition. He sat down at the doctors desk and explained the program. There is a good program sponsored by the drug companies to research and treat patients who are at the beginning stages of dementia. The drug companies pay for all the ex rays, cat scans, meds, everything. But my friend would have to make the commitment to follow through. He said it is not certain that she does have the beginning stages until all the tests are completed. However my friend might be a good candidate to be accepted for the ex rays and more testing. If they found for sure, she does have dementia, then she would be admitted into a free drug trial program. She was assured that the drug given would not make her memory worse.However it most likely it will not reverse. The drug will stop further damage

"What can I say. I was devastated" my friend cried. The drive home was very quiet. She was thinking about all the times she failed to identify people's names, places, movies, etc. She always joked with friends about how she was such a quick thinker when she smoked years ago. When she quit decisions were difficult. Although people, friends, peers told her they thought she was bright, deep down she said she did not think so of herself. Just like the doctor pleading with us and reassuring us he was smart, he was a doctor, he went to school, he had books on his shelves. It is not about being stupid or smart and the doctor should have known that.

When she arrived home, I helped her research the clinic to the best of my knowledge, the drug company and the doctor. He is board certified and has written many papers.

Fear crept up on my friend that day. Fear of what will become of her and our friends who have memory problems as well. The good thing is that we have thus far seen good results with the drugs people are taking with the exception of our dear friend who passed away this year.

"I was sorry I laughed at the doctor," my friend said. "I should have shown more compassion. It was a learning lesson for me that day. People should never laugh at such a person, nor a person who stutters, a lame person who falls, anyone else who is having a difficult time. We reflect back to comedians on the stage imitating those people and making the audience laugh."I hope I wont be laughed at if........."

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DEMENTIA A TRUE FUNNY STORY

2010-12-11T00:02:00.034-05:00

One day my friend and her husband heard a radio commercial about free testing for dementia in their town. Since we both recently lost a dear friend who suffered from Alzheimer's and having other friends with similar problems, they wanted to know more about it.

Most seniors think about the subject because as we age our memory decreases. Some people might have slight problems with long or short term memory. We all laugh about it though as part of the aging process and we tell each other not to worry about it because it happens to all of us.

When seniors in Florida hear something is free, they line up at the door. So did my friend's husband. He made the appointment because he occasionally forgets names as we all do at times.

After giving some information over the phone to the clinic he was asked to have his wife accompany him for further questioning regarding his health. Thinking that odd, since they were not administering drugs, his wife went with him anyway.

While waiting for the doctor, she asked if she could take the free test too. God for bid she should miss something free. The office did not think there would be enough time for the both of them since she did not have an appointment. However they did squeeze her in with her husband after waiting for awhile. The waiting room surprisingly was filled with young adults as well as elderly seniors.

Questions were asked such as; what day was it that day, what town did she live in, simple stuff that was answered without thinking. Then she told her to remember three things. Apple, Table and Pencil. "No problem" she thought. The interviewer made her copy a couple of triangles with pencil and paper which my friend said did well.

They chated for awhile and returned to the three things she asked her to remember. It's such a simple question she thought, but could only remember the Table.

Meeting her husband back in the waiting room he asked how she did. My friend was a little concerned when she told him she did not do too well because she could not remember those two other simple items. "Don't worry about that, it's no big deal." her husband lovingly said.

One of the doctors came into the waiting room introducing himself shaking their hands. He was a big broad man with white balding hair and a very red face. She figured it was too cold that week in December to get a sun burn on the beach, therefore he must have been a drinker. He was a very nice and friendly man, making them feel ar ease.

The doctor escorted them to his small office. They all sat down and he proceeded to take notes asking how she was with names. She told him she was terrible with that as it gets very embarrassing when introducing people especially those who are close

As the doctor was asking questions and taking notes, it appeared he was repeating the same questions over and over. When reminding him he had already asked those, he replied, "Oh yes, that's right, where were we, let's see?" He apologized and said he will now give her another test by telling her a story that she would have to remember later. But there was a long pause of silence as he was shaking his head. It appeared he forgot what the story was about.

Bewildered, the couple looked at each other not knowing what was going on. At first they thought the doctor was playing a joke on them. The doctor was embarrassed again. He made such a fuss about not remembering the story.

My friend started to console him and suggested he tell a different one. He apologized again, with his face getting redder, "listen, I am not stupid, I have medical books on the shelves of my office, I went to college" At that point he was resting his head on the desk saying "please do not tell them in the front that I have a memory problem because they will fire me"

"What is this a joke?" she laughed, wiping the tears from her eyes. Her husband and my friend were hysterical. "Where is the candid camera?"she thought, as her eyes glanced around the office."Are they making a movie for Larry David?" Her story reminded me of the funny scene with Tim Conway and Harvey Korman from the Carol Burnett show "The Dentist" Watch the video below.

to be continued next week........

S510 BILL AND WHY THE CONTROVERSY

2010-12-04T02:00:00.009-05:00

There is extreme controversy over this S510 bill by advocates for and against. My son, however is very concerned and is up to speed on it. He has requested me to put this on my website for awhile now. Not understanding this whole bill, I put it on the back burner. Helping to stop this bill on my part with my little blog would not make a dent even if I agreed with him and blasted my website every day to oppose it. He does however keep me on my toes to research further

Finally, I sat down to review this bill. I shortened it for quick reading. To read the full bill go to http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s111-510

This is what I gathered. Simply Federal Government wants to regulate the inspections and control of how and where we get our foods. Seems reasonable. If the Secretary has reason to believe food is unsafe they have the right to inspect and collect records, data, fees, etc.

The bill wants to protect us against hazards from foods in processing plants and instituting preventing controls to preserve our health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that food born diseases cause approximately 76 million illnesses each year including approximately 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the US. These numbers are staggering.

Senator Tom Harkin mentioned about recent food outbreaks linked to spinach, peppers, peanut products, and cookie dough dramatized two things. First our current regulatory system does not adequately protect Americans from widespread food born illnesses, and second the dangers associated with food born outbreaks are profound.

Senator Kay Hagan said "We're talking about people's livlihood. One false recall could put a family out of business" But small farmers say they are not a part of the problem and do not share the same safety concerns as larger farms. This is what most small food businesses are fearing. Opponents of the bill are concerned about the effects new regulations would have on small farmers

The amendments would exempt small producers that sell primarily directly to consumers, hotels, and restaurants from new regulations. ‘(A) IN GENERAL- In the event of an active investigation of a foodborne illness outbreak that is directly linked to a qualified facility subject to an exemption under this subsection the secretary may withdrew the exemption. Further the exempted facility (small business) must have adequate labels on their food packages showing name of business, address and here the food was manufactured. If they exceed their gross receipts to 500,000 the exempt is withdrawn

Senator Pat Roberts says,"If we give any agency in the federal government new authority obviously they are going to try to use it, and we could sometimes get into a problem and simply shut down any small facility or producer regardless of the product." Critics are concerned the FDA will not be able to effectively regulate such a broad spectrum of farms.The cost of hiring more employees to regulate this bill will increase our deficit. Didn't we hear Obama say he will cut expenses?

Sandra Eskin, the director of the Pew Charitable Trusts’ Food Safety Campaign, said a regulatory update is long overdue. The last time that the FDA’s law related to food was changed in any material way was 1938. Over the course of the following decades, we’ve seen our food supply expand and change markedly but the law has not kept up.

Bottom line, those that oppose feel the government is taking too much control over our foods. They are still sensitive about genetic modified foods that the government has endorsed and the fact we have little control to choose which foods are or not GM. No labeling is mandatory which makes it difficult for us to choose whether to consume it or not. I think they should have at least put labeling for GM foods in the bill. What do you think?

Then there is the conspiracy theory Some feel the government plants bad things for us only to invent new laws to regulate where we have little control.

http://www.infowars.com/senate-bill-s510- Read this and you will surely go mad

It is similar to what India faced with imposition of the salt tax during British rule, only S 510 extends control over all food in the US, violating the fundamental human right to food.

Woman in India objecting to government foods

Monsanto says it has no interest in the bill and would not benefit from it, but Monsanto’s Michael Taylor who gave us rBGH and unregulated genetically modified (GM) organisms, appears to have designed it and is waiting as an appointed Food Czar to the FDA (a position unapproved by Congress) to administer the agency it would create — without judicial review — if it passes. S 510 would give Monsanto unlimited power over all US seed, food supplements, food and farming.?

This bill has been passed in the Senate. The bill now goes on to be voted on in the House. Keep in mind that debate may be taking place on a companion bill in the House, rather than on this particular bill. Dec 2, 2010 6:43AM]

Last Action: Nov 30, 2010: Passed Senate with an amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 73 - 25. Record Vote Number: 257.

Now that you have the scoop. what is your reaction to this?

ARE WE REHEATING OUR LEFTOVERS WITH PLASTIC WRAP?

2010-11-27T14:13:00.010-05:00

This weekend there are many leftovers from Thanksgiving dinners all over America. Many wrap them with plastic wrap, reheating them in microwaves. Many dinners have been prepared days prior to the holiday dinner and reheated with plastic wrap for the dinner as well.

Years ago after finishing my main course at a lovely dinner party, I felt a strange feeling in my stomach. Someone asked for seconds, so I went into the kitchen to help the hostess and to ask what ingredients were put into the dish. To my horror, I watched her take the melted cling wrap dish out of the microwave. When asked if she cooked with it all the time, she replied yes. Her husband had suffered from leukemia for years and eventually passed away.

I have personally witnessed other people cooking with saran wrap for years. Once someone told me she cooked a turkey in a plastic bag, another said she used cling wrap to make her turkey. Their husbands either had leukemia for years or other types of cancer. If other members in those families were not diagnosed with cancer, their health was poorer in other ways.

Should we believe plastic wrap or cooking in plastic bags, dishes etc are the culprit? Perhaps or perhaps not.. Maybe other factors come in to play. But because of the controversy, are we all so smart to deny those unsafe cooking methods?

Dr. Rolf Halden, a professor in the Department of Environmental Health Services at the school's Center for Water and Health addressed his concerns over dioxins.Regarding cooking with plastics, Halden said that whenever you heat something it increases the likelihood that chemicals could be pulled out. He recommends using heat-resistant glass or ceramics for microwave cooking, just to be safe

Dr. Edward Fujimoto is the Manager of the Wellness and Lifestyle Medicine Department at Castle Medical Center in Hawaii. He said that in Japan, there has been a complete change in the way foods are packaged so that plastic is avoided. They use more glass, for example.

Let us not forget that most plastic wrap comes from China. Do we trust cooking with their plastic?

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/d/dioxins.htm.

We have all heard the controversy from both sides. One is the plastic companies, the others are scientists and chemists. Each are believable. The FDA is still looking into this and their final result will take about another 20 years. Even a 7th grader did an experiment which proved plastic wrap is toxic.

http://www.ecocycle.org/TimesFall2002/studentstudies.cfm

To summarize, yes, harmful chemicals can migrate into food cooked in plastic containers or covered with cling wrap. The level of danger apparently is unknown, unstudied and unreported.

Will these chemicals hurt or kill you? It seems no one knows for sure, but certainly some people are more susceptible than others when it comes to chemical exposures.Why accumulate unnecessary toxins in your body?

If you have other products, glass, corning, etc why not use them just to be safe. My motto has always been " When in doubt, do without."

The same holds true for prescription drugs, foods, liquids, etc. We have to be smart and careful for ourselves and our children.

THE TURKEY TRYPTOPHAN MYTH, AND WHY SOME OF US GET DROWSEY AFTER BIG MEALS

2010-11-17T20:52:00.011-05:00

Status: Scientific controversy

Thanksgiving is approaching, which means the "turkey makes you tired because it has high levels of tryptophan" urban legend shall once again be heard at tables throughout America.

Baylor College of Medicine dietitian Rebecca Reeves debunks this legend in an interview with the Houston Chronicle: in reality, you'd need to eat an entire 40-pound turkey to get enough tryptophan to make a difference.

But her explanation of why people actually get tired after Thanksgiving dinner raises more questions such as, why do people take a nap on the couch?

Remembering my mother heading straight to the couch to lie down after a big dinner, I thought was very rude. Our guests were still there watching her nap. Now I realize her sensitive body crashed from sweets and carbs. In my previous blog of 9/12/10, I wrote about "WHY MY SON'S BODY CRASHED AFTER ROSH HASHANAH DINNER". He had the same food sensitivity as my mother. However, he did not go to sleep on the couch. He just got tired suffering from headaches.

When people increase their carbohydrates, it increases their blood sugar, causing the production of sleep-promoting melatonin in the brain. Perhaps this could lead to sleepiness for some people.

Just think about it. Sweet potatoes with marshmallows, stuffing, cranberry sauce, noodle pudding and whatever else people enjoy eating at a Thanksgiving table. And let's not forget the wonderful desserts.

So what the heck. Let's all enjoy our scrumptious Thanksgiving dinner and worry about crashing later. There is nothing like celebrating with family and friends enjoying one another during this happy feast.

If you have an interesting Thanksgiving day, please share with us on my website. http://www.pushthewheel.com/

I WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY AND HEALTHY THANKSGIVING

HOW TO FIND THE CODES FOR GM AND CONVENTIONAL FOOD

2010-11-13T23:45:00.003-05:00

Be careful of what you eat - many foods in the supermarkets today are genetically modified.Whether genetically modified (GM) foods are safe or harmful is still controversial as explained in my last issue.

If you are concerned about eating genetic modified foods, buy food labeled 100% organic. The US and Canadian governments do not allow manufacturers to label something 100% organic if that food has been genetically modified or been fed genetically modified feed. However, you may find that organic food is more expensive and different in appearance from conventional products. Also, just because something says "organic" on it does not mean that it does not contain GMs. In fact, it can still contain up to 30% GMs, so be sure the labels say 100% organic.

This applies to eggs, as well. Eggs labeled "free-range", "natural", or "cage-free" are not necessarily GE-free; look for eggs to be 100% organic. In my supermarket there are no 100% organic labeled eggs. I am sure Whole Foods has it but it is difficult to travel there when I am rushed.

When shopping at my local supermarkets, I have not found foods labeled 100% organic, I would love your comments telling which stores you have seen that have 100% organic labeling I did not have the time to go to Whole Foods to see if they have it. I am sure they do.

Recognize fruit and vegetable label numbers. So far I have not seen anything having numbers on them. I think I will put pressure on the supermarket stores demanding they start coding.

If it is a 4-digit number, the food is conventionally produced.

If it is a 5-digit number beginning with an 8, it is GM. However, do not trust that GE (Genetic Engineered)foods will have a PLU identifying it as such, because PLU labeling is optional.

If it is a 5-digit number beginning with a 9, it is organic.

HAPPY HUNTING! And, don't forget to comment on this website if you found GM labeling, and 100% organic. It would be great to know which stores have those labeled.

WHY SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED ABOUT GM FOODS

2010-11-06T10:07:00.006-04:00

Be careful of what you eat - many foods in the supermarkets today are genetically modified.Whether genetically modified (GM) foods are safe or harmful is still controversial. Most foods we eat may contain ingredients derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs)--everything from baby formula and food to our dairy to even our meat. If you live in Europe, avoiding GM foods is easier since laws require labeling. However in the US and Canada food manufacturers are not required to label if their food is genetically modified or not.

The most intelligent comment from my last blog came from Dave S. I will try to answer his questions briefly

The first question was "what is GM foods and what are not GMO foods?" Please refer to this link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_food

ADVANTAGES OF GM FOODS

Resists herbicides,pesticides and diseased plants
Cold and drought tolerence, protecting our food supply
Avoids malnutrition in many countries
Reduces costs of pharmaeuticals

DISADVANTAGES AND CRITICISMS OF GM FOODS

Environmental activists, religious organizations, public interest groups, professional associations and other scientists and government officials have all raised concerns about GM foods, and criticized agribusiness for pursuing profit without concern for potential hazards, and the government for failing to exercise adequate regulatory oversight. It seems that everyone has a strong opinion about GM foods. Even the Vatican19 and the Prince of Wales20 have expressed their opinions. Most concerns about GM foods fall into three categories: environmental hazards, human health risks, and economic concerns.

Unintended harm to other organisms
Reduced effectiveness of pesticides
Gene transfer to non-target species
Allergenicity such as people allergic to peanuts
Unknown effects on human health because of added chemicles in foods
No labelling of GM foods if desired not to purchase
Economic concerns very costy to produce

For more detail information on this topic, please go to
http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php

Genetically-modified foods have the potential to solve many of the world's hunger and malnutrition problems, and to help protect and preserve the environment by increasing yield and reducing reliance upon chemical pesticides and herbicides. Yet there are many challenges ahead for governments, especially in the areas of safety testing, regulation, international policy and food labeling. Many people feel that genetic engineering is the inevitable wave of the future and that we cannot afford to ignore a technology that has such enormous potential benefits. However, we must proceed with caution to avoid causing unintended harm to human health and the environment as a result of our enthusiasm for this powerful technology.

LET US DEMAND GM LABELING ON ALL OUR FOOD AND FOOD PRODUCTS

WHY SHOULD WE STOP CONSUMING THIS HEALTHY FOOD

2010-10-29T21:32:00.005-04:00

My health guru cousin Audrey told me not to eat any soy products unless it is fermented, and if so, not to indulge often. Some ofher reasons went over my head. Thus, I decided to do some research given to me by a dear friend. It was hair raising and almost unbelievable.

Dr Marcolo did extensive research on soy, finding it extremely toxic unless fermented. Soy contains a number of problematic components that can wreak havoc with your health, such as:

Goitrogens – Goitrogens, found in all unfermented soy whether it's organic or not, are substances that block the synthesis of thyroid hormones and interfere with iodine metabolism, thereby interfering with your thyroid function. Could this be why my thyroid is not functioning well? My doctor keeps changing my meds to regulate it. I make the best sauce for my fish that contain soy

It is also important to understand that while fermented soy is healthier for you, it is not wise to consume it in large quantities because it is still loaded with phytoestrogens, like isoflavones, which can cause detrimental feminizing effects.

Some of the more recent research shows that many of the health problems do not even occur in those who consume these GM foods. Some of the most devastating harm may occur in the second and third generations!

He recently interviewed GMO expert Jeffrey Smith about the latest findings by Russian scientists, who discovered that GM soy effectively sterilized the third generation of hamsters..

One group of hamsters was fed a normal diet without any soy whatsoever, a second group was fed non-GMO soy, a third ate GM soy, and a fourth group ate an even higher amount of GM soy than the third.

Using the same GM soy produced in the US, the hamsters and their offspring were fed their respective diets over a period of two years, during which time the researchers evaluated three generations of hamsters.

Shockingly, the second-generation of GM soy-fed hamsters had a five-fold higher infant mortality rate, compared to the 5 percent normal death rate that was happening in the controls.

Worse yet, nearly all of the third generation hamsters were sterile! Only one single third-generation female hamster gave birth to 16 pups, and of those, one fifth died.

Another bizarre side effect found in the GM soy-fed groups was an unusually high prevalence of an otherwise extremely rare phenomenon – hair growing inside the animals' mouths.

But soy is not the only GM food to beware of.
Soy oil
Soy ice cream
Soy yogurt
Soy "meat" (meatless products made of TVP)
Soy lecithin
Infant Soy Formula – Perhaps the Most Dangerous Soy Products of All

Many children are allergic to conventional formula, and these parents can easily be convinced that soy formula is the solution.

Sadly, soy formula is FAR worse than conventional formula, in large part due to its excessive levels of phytoestrogens. The estrogens in soy can irreversibly harm your baby's sexual development and reproductive health. Infants fed soy formula receive a level of estrogen equivalent to five birth control pills every day!

Infants fed soy formula have up to 20,000 times the amount of estrogen in circulation as those fed conventional formulas!

In addition, soy formula has up to 80 times higher manganese than is found in human breast milk, which can lead to brain damage in infants, and altered behaviors in adolescence.

So please, do not ever feed your baby soy formula, and warn others who are pregnant or who you know are considering using formula over breastfeeding.

The next best alternative to breast milk is to make a healthy homemade infant formula.

Thank you Teddi, for your research

NO COOKING IN THE KITCHEN

2010-10-23T01:14:00.010-04:00

My Vegan cousin Audrey has a sign on her refrigerator that says "COOKING IS POISON" She never eats anything from animals or fish.

Audrey has the most beautiful circular kitchen in her lovely home. Instead of the usual toaster, broiler, and canisters on the counter, she has vials, droppers, scale, and small jars.

On my last visit to her home, I watched with amazement her preparing lunch and dinner in her million dollar looking kitchen. It took a couple of hours mixing several berries, seeds, nuts, fruit and several other items too numerous to mention. She prepared her smoothie in her elaborate blender insisting it made her full all day. She snacks on almonds, that were washed and soaked for days.

Whole Foods is her source for shopping most foods. She carefully selects her organic fruits and veggies. She places them on a $150 wood square block like a trivit.. Audrey says it energizes the food on it. She also has a large magnet under her bottle of purified water to give that energy as well.

Audrey is a health food guru among her peers. She devotes her entire life reading, attending lectures and preaching about healthy eating. Although too overwhelming for me to digest all the information given to me, she does not get insulted if I change the subject. Truthfully, I must say, at times I am slowly starting to listen. I take it very gradually and try to eat with substitute foods. I am trying Stevia, the safe sugar substitute. "Never consume any soy products" she warned. I was flabbergasted at the horror of soy. I will tell you what my friend researched in my next issue.

At first, listening to my fanatic cousin, I thought she was crazy. But I realized she made a lot of sense in the foods we eat. She explained milk is harmful after infancy. "How can we live without milk? I love milk and cookies before bed time" But why does my stomach slightly feel weird, and my mouth has a sour taste every time I drink it?

While watching her prepare her smoothie, she gave me a taste of coconut milk, almond milk, and another kind of milk. I loved the almond milk. It was a little creamy and sweet. Great for my coffee. So I am now weaning myself gradually away from milk and am purchasing almond milk at Whole Foods.. It tastes better anyway. I wont be a vegan any time soon, but I will gradually become more aware of some of the poisons in food and look for an alternative.

The advice my cousin gives makes a lot of sense. However at my age, it is too difficult to change my eating habits. Audrey says, "take it one day at a time. A little knowledge is better than none"

MY EULOGY FOR MARILYN J. BERMAN

2010-10-15T18:57:00.007-04:00

EULOGY FOR MY DEAR FRIEND MARILYN

About 37 years ago, I met Marilyn in the model of Fairhaven, a new development at that time.

It seemed we both contracted for the same lot. She thought there was going to be an argument. However looking into her beautiful blue eyes, we just chose another lot around the corner from her.

We became good friends when we moved into Birchwood Bungalow Colony waiting for our new houses to be built. Because we lived in close quarters, we became family, sharing car pools to school, vacationing and having holiday dinners together. It was thrilling watching Jenine, Stacey and Rodger grow up to become beautiful and productive people. Marilyn was always proud of her children and her children were always very caring and loving to her.

We had history together and sometimes we laughed at ourselves when we reminisced the silly things we did.. Like the time we went to the mall, riding the escalators gabbing, going up, and going down, then going up and down again still chatting away. Like the blind leading the blind

Marilyn was determined to further her education and graduated college while her children were young. She loved her studies and discussed many of her classes with me. One special story she shared with me was from her classroom assignments . It was about a misdiagnosed autistic boy named Tibbs. I found it an excellent learning experience for anyone who read that book. I was extremely thankful to her for sharing.

During the years of our friendship, Marilyn often said to me that she hoped we remain good friends until we grew old and spend the rest of our time together in a nursing home. At that time we were in our thirties. I humored her while never giving my aging a thought. Unlike me, she always knew she would someday wind up in a nursing home.

Marilyn had a vision for her future. Perhaps watching her mother with the same illness and later her brother, she was so sure it would happen to her. And, when it did, she was so helpless with no cure in sight.

My friend Marilyn was very fortunate to live long enough to see her grown children and knowing her grandchildren. What is so great is that her grandchildren had the pleasure of knowing their wonderful grandmother. They gave her lots of Nachas and pleasure. She was very proud of all of them. Marilyn had comfort knowing that all her children had loving spouses and was proud of Itsik, Eli, and Rachael.

Most important, how lucky Marilyn was to have such a wonderful, loving and caring husband, especially to the end of her life.

Marilyn I will miss our laughs, your phone calls and your friendship. You will always be in my heart.

Rest in peace my dear friend.

HOW TO TAKE A SIMPLE TEST TO FIND OUT WHAT YOU'RE ALLERGIC TO

2010-10-12T00:32:00.003-04:00

In my last issue I explained how the foods we eat affect our mind and bodies. It is extremely difficult for me and many others to start eliminating some of our foods, the ones we love so much. Many ignore their ill symptoms after they ate, others listen to their bodies and look for answers as to what they had that made them feel ill. They start thinking about what to eliminate from their diets

As promised I will pass on a simple test I learned from Dr Michael Schacter. After paying him hundreds of dollars testing my son for food allergies, he told me to go across the street to his health food store and buy his book Food, Mind and Mood. It was in his book that I learned how to test for foods that cause weakness to your body and your immune system that cause allergies. Too bad he did not tell me about it before I paid him all that money.

Here goes: Sit at the table with your partner and place your hand on the table. Have him place his hand over yours tightly. You try to get out of his grip as he tries to resist your strength. The idea is to know your strength before the next step. The book says afterwards to fast for a few days. We would probably be dead by then. So I suggest you fast for 24 hours. Then take a piece of food, one which you suspect you might be allergic to. Place it under your tongue. You do not have to eat it, as the food under your tongue goes into your blood stream anyway. Now place your hand on the table, having your partner place his hand over yours. Try to resist him. If you are weaker than the first time, that food is probably your culprit. If not try again the following week with another food, like bread, cheese, etc. Jut one food at a time

Years after my teenage son's asthma was arrested, I started to have lower back pain all the time. Heating pads became my best friend. Refusing to take drugs, I was bed ridden for days, unable to raise my pillow or get out of bed to turn off the TV. We had to purchase an electric queen size bed and a remote control TV which at that time was unpopular. When my lower back recovered, I was able to carry on with my household duties until the next attack.

One day, I accompanied my husband to see one of his clients to sign a contract. He owned a famous store on Canal street. The client told me he was heavy into drugs until he had hepatitis . His health guru friends nursed him back to health months before most hepatitis patients recovered. He became a health nut and drug free.

When he saw me in pain, he advised me to quit eating all the foods I was accustomed to. When he mentioned root, and foods I never heard of, I said 'forget it" Thus, he said, " just eliminate one food and I promise you will feel better. You see, the atmosphere stinks, the water we drink is not good, especially the foods we eat. So naturally our bodies are breaking down because we cannot resist all the toxins getting into us"

"What did I have to loose?" I said to myself. I could still eat many of my favorite foods, so I just eliminated meat. After three months the pain in my lower back went away. My friends said it would have gone away anyway, so I cheated. After having meat two nights in a row, I felt a light tinge in my lower back. It was not bad, just a warning. That was over twenty five years ago, and I never had a back ache again. Oh, yes, I can now have steak, or hamburgers but only once a month. Some times I will cheat and have it twice. My back is very forgiving. I will never push it though. My philosophy is, If I am good to my back, my back will be good to me.We made a deal and we are sticking to it

HOW THE FOODS YOU EAT AFFECT THE WAY YOU FEEL

2010-09-22T21:32:00.005-04:00

For most of my life I have been eating foods that made me feel better. I had no idea that those very same foods played havoc on my body later on.

My interest in food sensitivity started with my son who was an asthmatic in his early years. Back in the early 60's most doctors did not believe nor want to believe in allergists. But when my son begged to God to help him breath, I took him to the emergency room where they medicated him for relief.

Putting pressure on our Pediatrician to get my son to an allergist was the smartest thing we did. It was there he was tested for food sensitivity and was not allowed to eat the many pleasures that children love.  Ice cream, pizza, milk, diary products, tomatoes, oranges, and chocolate

When I sent him to sleep a way camp, I notified the camp director of his restrictions. They could not figure out what to feed my son for lunch. I told them they would have to get him cold cuts.

Prior to his restrictions of those foods, he was always very irritable. I could not understand why he was that way. When he continued on his restricted diet, his asthma went away or was arrested as they say. He turned to be a happy well adjusted child. Until we moved a few years later....

As soon as our furniture arrived in our new home, he started wheezing. New to the community and not knowing anyone, I chose the nearest allergist. I wanted to prevent another attack. To my dismay, this guy did not believe in tests claiming that it is not the same thing as when food is digested. He said to my son, "you can eat what ever you like from now on." I was so upset, while my son was rejoicing.

Gradually he became irritable again, with massive head aches occurring often. His asthma was still arrested, however I feared the worst that it might come back. It was very difficult for us to live with him as he was now a very unmanageable teenager.

One day, driving in my car, listening to WOR, Carlton Fredericks, world renowned nutritionist, was speaking about a case he had. I will never forget the scenario. A mother called up on the air saying that her son was diagnosed as  schizophrenic. "Bring the boy to my office before you do anything. Take his lunch and his favorite drink so I can evaluate him. I bet it has to do with something he ate" The mother thinking it might be a waste of time and foolishness, went along with it.

On visiting with Dr Fredericks, the young boy seemed very normal and well behaved. The Doctor was sitting at his desk while the mother and son was opposite him. Questions were asked and a conversation began. The boy was very well mannered and answered all the questions put to him. The Doctor. instructed him and the mother to start eating their sandwich and Coke as it was lunch time.

They continued to chat getting the family history. With approximately a half an hour after they finished their lunch, the boy became cranky and wanted to go home. "It is not time yet, we still have some more work to do" the doctor said. The boy became very irritable and within minutes he started to have a tantrum kicking and swinging.

Dr. Carlton Fredericks said, "you see what is happening, do you see this, your son is not a schizophrenic, he is severely allergic to the coke. Discontinue that and he will be a normal child again"

After listening, I tried to get an appointment with him for my son. I was referred to Dr. Michael Schachter MD. who studied with Fredericks. I knew what my son was allergic to, however because my son was a teenager, he had to see for himself and obtain another doctor's opinion. He was definitely in agreement about how foods affect him. He told my son to continue with his previous restricted diet.

Reflecting back when my son was an infant, he was always irritable with colic. Then eczema broke out on his face when he was one years old. At the age of two he developed Hay Fever. Asthma followed after age three. This whole process was food sensitivity. The doctors never told me about this until  Dr Schacther and one of our allergists mentioned it to me when asthma set in. It was a shame all this could have been avoided.

In my next issue I will tell you about how to test your food sensitivity by yourself painlessly with the help of your spouse, partner or friend.

Today my son is an adult and understands how bad certain foods affect him. He continues to learn about food sensitivity and how some of the other foods contain poison which most of us unknowingly are feeding our children

Please watch this very short video especially if you are a parent

WHAT ARE THE BAD FOODS OUR CHILDREN ARE EATING

WHY MY SON'S BODY CRASHED AFTER ROSH HASHANAH DINNER

2010-09-12T02:25:00.011-04:00

The day after our Rosh Hashanah dinner, the start of the Jewish New Year, my son asked me what ingredients were in my delicious noodle pudding because he was suffering from drowsiness and had extreme migraine headaches. "Do not take this personal " he said " I ate a lot of it and just need to know what was in it that made me feel that way."

Responding quickly, I told him his body was crashing from all the sugar he ate the night before. I pointed out to him the following foods he might have ate contained large amounts of sugar. The salad oil, challah bread, noodle pudding, a little honey in the brisket, soda, and of course the chocolate desserts.

After my conversation with my son, I went on the Internet to check if my answer to him was correct. I wanted to reasure myself I used the right words for him to understand what has happened. Along with my research was the information I put in this blog for all those who are going to cook for Yom Kippur and for all others who need to know this information for future cooking for their families

Many of us have low tolerance to certain foods. In his case he has low tolerance to sugars and other foods as well. It was a rude awakening for him as he is a very handsome, intellgent, and strong individual who is finally opening his eyes to what certain foods can do to him. Although he was very aware for years, now it is the sugar thing that invaded his low tolerance. We all take our tolerances for granted as we enjoy eating our favorite foods and desserts overlooking the consequences later.

When I was a little girl, I remember my mother lying on the couch after dinner while a whole house full of relatives watched her. She just could not keep her eyes open after she ate dinner. Thinking she was just rude, I was unaware of her low tolerance to sugar.

Eating sugar shoots our blood sugar levels up and triggers a spike in the hormone insulin, which is needed to prep our cells to absorb the sugar. If there are no other nutrients to sustain our blood sugar level, it crashes as quickly as it rises, and we crave another hit. This is how sugar addiction begins

Excess sugar consumption also upsets the balance of intestinal flora in your digestive tract and can cause symptoms of intestinal distress such as bloating, cramping, and gas digestion. Other symptoms of sugar sensitivity are headaches, insomnia, aggression, panic attacks, irritability, mood swings, and depression. Too much sugar can deplete levels of serotonin, the neurotransmitter whose deficiency is linked to depression. What’s worse, low levels of serotonin actually trigger more sugar cravings.

Long-term sugar intolerance leads to type 2 diabetes and other complications like obesity and inflammation. Drinking more than one soda a day raises your risk of serious weight gain by 80%.

For those who were smart enough to realize what sugar did to their mind and bodies, they've turned to artificial sweeteners, Sweet n Low, Equal, Splenda and all the rest were proven to be toxic. Some authorities say that Splenda has more in common with DDT than with food. Years ago Weight Watchers told me to take one teaspoon of sugar rather than sugar substitutes in coffee or tea.

In my research I learned of Stevia which is a herb used for over 400 years in South America and in Japan for twenty years with no side affects.The FDA has approved its use as a food supplement, but not as a food additive due to a lack of studies. Stevia can be used for anything you might use sugar in, including baking. It is naturally low in carbohydrates. You can buy Stevia at most health food stores and over the web. My friend said she recently purchased it in a local super market. Remember all sugar substitutes are toxic. Only Stevia so far has less. Studies are not finished yet.

While reading about what sugar does to us, I realized my own health issues. I have gained an enormous amount of weight during the years because I loved eating candy, especially containing chocolate . I started eating it when I quite smoking 15 years ago. The candy was my crutch. Through the years and especially now that I am older, I found myself extremely tired all the time, requiring naps. I attributed it to getting older. Now I understand why my energy level is so low. From now on I will try to eliminate or at least minimize my intake. Thank you, my dear son for arousing my attention on overdosing sugar.

I wish you all a very happy and healthy New Year and an easy fast

.

FAVORITISM AND SIBLING RIVALRY

2010-09-01T12:23:00.003-04:00

Why do some siblings part ways with each other in adulthood? Why do some take each other to court using up most of their inheritance for legal fees?

Unfortunately there are a few friends of mine and some relatives who are distant from their siblings. Some have not spoken to each other in 25 years. As an only child, I would cherish a sibling. Knowing the families of my friends and relatives, I came to the realization that their parents, not knowingly, were at fault in causing the friction .

Children are born innocent and have a will to love. They need the love, attention and nurturing equal to their siblings. Parents know this and have always planned on being fair and loving with all their children, equally giving them the same attention and love their children deserve.

What they did not realize was life experiences that come up every day. A parent with a disabled child for example gives more attention to him, than the healthy sibling. Although the disabled child got more attention and affection, he is still jealous of his healthy sibling. The healthy child hurts more. He lacked the love, affection and attention because the sick child needed his parents more. You would think that the healthy child understood this. In his young mind, he felt unloved, and lacked the attention. His self esteem deepens as well as his resentment to his sibling.

Children, sometimes see and hear differently. For example. When a parent is angry and yells at a child, the child does not realize he is doing anything wrong. His mind thinks that the scolding is because he is unloved.

Many years ago I took a valuable study course about how to deal with a difficult child. The program was called "PARENT STEP MODIFICATION" One of the major things I remembered from the program before scolding my child was to say " I LOVE YOU" first. I know it sounds silly, but it works. They hear those words and then they understood that even though mother or dad was scolding them, they were still loved. This is very important because it adds to their self esteem. When a child gets scolded often because of discipline problems, his self image gets worse as he becomes a teen and into adulthood.

Parental differential treatment is the degree to which parents treat each child in the family differently. Studies have found that most parents report that they have to be a different parent to each of their children (Dunn and Plomin 1990; McGuire 2002). For instance, parents often indicate that one child needs more attention compared to the siblings. This does not necessarily mean that one child is being favored over the others. Parents who love their children equally may treat them differently to help each child develop properly. Favoritism is a specific type of differential treatment; it occurs when one child receives more positive treatment (e.g., more affection or more toys) compared to his or her siblings. However this is confusing to a child way into his adulthood. The child sees differential treatment as favoritism

Studies of families in the United States and Great Britain have shown that parental differential treatment is linked to children's temperament characteristics. For instance, emotional children tend to receive more attention from their parents compared to their calmer siblings. Parents also respond to each child's age, sex, and, sometimes, position in the family (that is, birth order). For example, parents do not expect the same degree of obedience from a one-year-old child and her three-year old brother. It is considered standard for parents to react to children's unique personalities and different developmental levels.

Parental differential treatment is also associated with children's behavior problems, at least in Western societies. Children who receive more parental discipline and less parental warmth relative to their sibling have more adjustment problems compared to children in other family environments. It cannot be assumed that parental differential treatment always causes children's adjustment problems, because children who are disruptive often elicit negative parental behavior. Researchers have examined families over time; findings from these studies suggest that both the parents and the children contribute to this family dynamic (Reiss et al. 2000).

When you have children with no health issues, it is easier to concentrate on being a fair parent.
What about happy childhoods however later when a parent dies, one sibling is left more than the other? A parent may rationalize thinking one child needs more than the successful sibling. or one child takes more care of a parent than the other. Another problem, one child is the trustee,the other siblings are not.

So what do these adult siblings do now? How can they ever reconcile? How can their hurt be erased. Too many years have gone by but never too late to heal.

Do the parents bring the siblings together and apologize for their unfairness?
Do they explain there was no manual on how to deal with problems of raising children?
Does the handicap sibling apologize for taking the attention away from his sibling?
Should the healthy child apologize to the handicap child for his selfishness of wanting more attention?

What suggestions can you offer to help those who are still hurting

How can siblings stop fighting?

There are many people who would love to hear your comments
Please feel free to comment below

OUR LABOR DAY WEEKEND NIGHTMARE

2010-08-20T17:16:00.006-04:00

It was the labor day weekend we will never forget. Early in the morning we packed our car with all our camping equipment and headed to Lake George for our yearly camping trip with our young sons and our collie, Chipper. We did not plan ahead as usual because one of our sons had a cold and we did not think he would be well enough to make the trip until the last minute

When we arrived at the marina we learned all the large boats were taken. Based on the amount of equipment we took, we had to make two trips to the campsite. But first we had to take our rented motor boat to the ranger station to pick our favorite campsite on Glen Island. Our preference had to be level because of our small children and not too far from the mariner. Unfortunately the rangers said all the campsites on Glen Island were full. The only safe camp site available was on Long Island, a much deeper and wider part of the lake. Reluctantly, we took it and ventured out with our map in hand to proceed to find it.

Once there, we unloaded our boat taking out our tent and food, which we purchased in Grand Union supermarket in Bolton Landing near our marina. My husband pitched our tent on the platform provided, while I set up my kitchen. I always liked to be organized and know where everything was. I looked for wood, to build a counter top for my portable gas barbecue, and work area. Being the modern camper, I made sure we had our portable toilet although a clean out house was provided, a gas stove and lantern. We took plenty of rope to tie our food up in the tree to prevent raccoons from taking it. I enjoyed playing house and setting up my hollywood kitchen. The campsite provided a picnic table, fireplace.and a dock.

While playing house, my husband went back to the marina to bring the rest of our camping equipment which included a large screen tent around the picnic table provided. I enjoyed exploring our new campsite and meeting the surrounding campers by walking on a man made path through the woods.

Our campsite was lovely and safe. It felt like we were on a private island with no visual campers around. Unfortunately it was too far away from the Marina and Glen Island. Previously we always made it a point to reserve a safe campsite on our favorite island which was Glen Island. months in advance. Making friends with other campers on the island was fun, however we each went our own separate way with our families.
The weather was delightful. The lake looked like glass with hardly any waves. Swimming in clean water was a delight for me as I detested chlorine pools. I loved our rubber boat taking short excursions around our campsite. Every day, we took our rented boat back to the marina for a day of fun in town. There were so many theme parks and restaurants. Some times we would come home late in the dark, using our flash lights to see where we were going. It was frightening to me, but we always arrived safely at the camp site. We usually hung a marker like an old sheet on one of the trees to identify where we were..

The long weekend was always too short, as it was time to go home. We brought some things back to our car the day before to lighten the boat for the second trip. However, we should have made two more trips, but decided to chance taking the remaining equipment and clothes with us for our final trip back to the car.

The last day started out beautiful, however as the day progressed the wind was picking up. We heard the boat knocking against the dock from the wind. Fearing the worst, we decided to bolt quickly. I told my older son to put on his life jacket as we entered the boat. I was in the process of zipping up my 4 year old with his life jacket as the boat charged ahead. My husband saw the white caps getting bigger as the wind progressed. He feared the worst thinking it was not such a good idea to continue on the widest part of the lake. He started to turn the boat around heading back to shore. Within a few minutes we were in water. All our equipment, my purse, everything was floating in the water. I felt I was dreaming and wanted someone to wake me up. Holding on to my younger son, I can still hear his young voice crying "Mommy, Mommy"

The boat turned upside down and became very slippery as I could not hold on. Yelling for my older son who was about 7 years old, "where are you?" he excitedly said he was riding on Chipper's back who was swimming in the water. He did not understand nor was he fearful of what to expect. He thought he was on a great adventure having the time of his life.

As we .were trying to hold on to the boat, the waves were turning into larger white caps, pushing our hands off the boat, I have never seen the lake look mean and nasty. The clouds in the sky turned dark gray. My husband and I looked at each other with disbelief that this was happening to us. I said, "this is not our end yet. We have our whole lives to live"

Where were all the other campers we wondered? It seemed everyone cleared out of the lake earlier. "Who was going to rescue us? Usually the rangers come by with their boats to check on the campers. Where were they? What was to become of us," we feared.

Finally, it seemed like an eternity, a man came by with his boat to help rescue us. He was on the other side of the lake and witnessed what happened. However he said he would not take our dog Chipper. While in the water and at the mercy of this man, we were bargaining that we would not get onto his boat unless he promised to take Chipper. He agreed, promising he would go back for him after he rescued us.

He took us to a nearby campsite and gathered whatever he could find floating in the water. He brought back our duffel bag full of clothes. One side was all wet but the other was dry. We changed our wet clothes into dry ones, still shivering from the cold. My husband went back with the man with the boat to get Chipper. I thought for sure he drowned because we could never get Chipper in the water to teach him how to swim.. My husband helped Chipper into the boat and we were all a happy family again.

All our other equipment, tents, stoves, etc all gone. Our money, my gold watch which was supposed to be at the repair shop and never got around to do it was all lost. The insurance company would not honor our claim because the loss happened in a boat.

A man came by to offer us money to get home. He took out a wad of bills, asking if we needed $100. $200. etc. My husband said $50 would be fine. The man gave us his card, a name I will never forget. Skyos was our hero. He took us back to our Marina. Still shivering, we went to a nearby Italian restaurant for dinner and the long drive home. We quickly sent him the money he loaned us with a thank you note. We never did figure out what caused the capsize except perhaps the plug from the boat might have loosened up.

The moral of this story is never underestimate the lake. river, ocean etc. No matter how calm and friendly, it could be your worst nightmare.

EULOGY FOR AN OLD FRIEND

2010-08-06T01:18:00.008-04:00

It was the summer of year 1954 at Camp Na Sho Pa. in Bloomingburg NY. When I was 15 years old, I dormed in Alderbrook, an old farm house for CIT's (Counselor in Training). The dorm had about four rooms consisting of three girls in a room.

Little children ages two to four years old were on the second floor with four counselors. Among the little tots, was a two year old ill with Asthma. How her mother sent this child to sleep a way camp was puzzling to us. The camp mother who did not bargain for this job was with the baby most of the time. We did not have too much contact with the children in the dorm as we had teenage activities that took us away from them.

It was a day that changed my perspective of human nature and a day to be tested. It was also a day when I first met my husband although we were strangers until a few years later.. We acquainted ourselves with our new camp friends on the first day. There was a dissatisfaction among some of the girls because one of them had a deformity, one of which was never seen before by any of us. Some of the girls refused to share their dorm with her. Some threatened to call their parents to take them home.

At first I, too, was uncomfortable, but found it fascinating watching that beautiful faced teenager applying lipstick on her lips, using her hands attached to her arms. Having no forearms, Lenore was a Thalidomide baby. When her mother was pregnant, her doctor prescribed the miracle cure for “morning sickness." The drug was also used as a sedative to help patients sleep. Unfortunately many doctors all over the world prescribed this drug to pregnant women.leaving many babies deformed. The drug was banned for many years until recently making it useful as a powerful cancer fighter.

Lenore warmed up to us quickly. She wasted little time being friendly. We decided to invite her to share our room. She became one of us doing everything we did. I could not get over how she polished her toenails perfectly. Besides being intelligent, Lenore had good typing skills, along with a cheerful and witty personality. Her good looks reminded us of Doris Day. Whenever she walked into a room with her smiley face, the whole room lit up. Her handicap did not restrict her in anything we did as far as I can remember. She was one of us and was a lot of fun

Lenore had a lot of self confidence despite her handicap. She wore beautiful rings on all her fingers. Around her wrists she wore beautiful bracelets. Lenore was lucky, as other babies had only one or two fingers along with deformed feet.

Through the years we separated like many of our camp friends. We all had different paths in our future. About ten years ago, Lenore found me in Florida as I had recently moved to an adult community. We got together with our husbands on several occasions and kept in touch. Lenore worked at the Bethesda Memorial hospital in Boynton Beach, Fl. in the records department. She was a dear friend and an asset to me when my mother passed away there.

Lenore and I caught up almost fifty years of our lives with our experiences and hardships. Although handicapped, she took care of her older sister who became a drug addict, eventually placing her in a nursing home and later taking care of her burial. She took care of her aging parents until she found good nursing homes for them and eventually handled their burials as well. How ironic, as I remember her family all too well when they came up to camp on visiting day. Her parents were very attractive, looking like movie stars. Her older sister was prettier than her parents. I could tell then by the way they treated her, that Lenore was a disappointment to them. However they loved her dearly, and in the end, Lenore was the strongest of all and survived everyone..

Due to the economy and their retirement, they were forced to sell their house which was not too far from us. They moved about three hours away.. She missed her old friends in Boynton Beach, however found a life for herself and her husband Don, making new friends and volunteering in a school teaching English as a second language.

Every year Lenore always called me on my birthday and I wished her a happy birthday as well. Her birthday was a day after mine. This year, since I did not hear from her, I sent her a Birthday Greeting on Face Book. When I did not see a response from her I went into her profile page to see comments of other well wishers.

Face Book is a wonderful web site. It brings old friends and families together after years of being apart. I heard of an adopted child finding her mother on Face book, or the other way around. But who would think I would find an old friend on Face book deceased without being told first. She passed away about 20 days prior to her birthday. It was shocking and devastating.

Lenore, you will be missed.

For those who have never seen a Thalidomide baby

THE MOST ECONOMICAL AND FUN SUMMER VACATION FOR FAMILIES

2010-07-26T02:10:00.010-04:00

In the late 60's a relative suggested we take our small children camping for a wonderful inexpensive adventure and experience. He suggested Lake George, Bolton Landing, where the water was so clean you could drink from it. As a matter of fact, anyone caught using soap in the water would get a big fine. Dogs were allowed on the lake until recently for which they are now banned.

We followed his instructions on renting camping equipment, sleeping bags, etc and where to rent a boat. After the first time, we purchased our own sleeping bags and equipment. A motor boat was needed to get to the camp site We found a nice mariner where all kinds of boats were available to rent. Motor boats, sail boats, as well as row boats with outboard motors. The mariner had showers and free parking for their customers. I still remember the showers we took at the mariner. We had to insert a coin to start the shower. When the water stopped running we had to take our soapy bodies out of the shower to fetch another coin from our clothes which were laid out on a nearby chair.

At the mariner, we were given a map to the ranger station on Glen Island where we had to register. It was a very interesting site. The ranger station was in the middle of the lake. There was a country store where campers could buy anything from eggs to pots and camping equipment. Rest rooms, telephone booths, and boat docks surrounded the commissary. It was another world to me as I looked at the Appalachian mountains, the beautiful scenery of the trees and little nooks and crannies of different islands on the lake.

Campers were everywhere, however we hardly saw them unless they were out on their boats. The campsites were very private. They were all on different islands, each with their own charm and view. We were given a site that was about an acre or less. The campsite had a platform to pitch a tent, an immaculate well equipped out house, a fireplace, picnic table, and a dock for boats. The campsites were all shady with no mosquitoes or annoying bugs.

Campers were not near us unless we walked through the woods on a man made trail. If we saw campers they were far away from the trail. Most of the neighbors were friendly and respected each others privacy. Occasionally we would acquaint each other by sitting at our campfire or theirs with our children roasting marshmallows, drinking wine, or sharing coffee and cake together.

Every day was glorious. We took our boat and explored the lake. Visiting the little islands and coves were breathtaking. We purchased little rubber boats and explored the coves. The children loved swimming as well. I enjoyed sitting in the little boat sunbathing and watching the kids enjoy themselves.

Every labor day we returned to Glen Island for years to enjoy our camping summer life. We were only allowed to stay on one campsite no more than four days. After that we would go back to the ranger station to pick another campsite. When our boys were older, we rented speed boats and took them water skiing every day.

Being out in nature all day and evening was exhilerating. I loved the smell of the tall pine trees, sitting by the campfire with a cup of coffee in my hand, listening to music from our portable radio and staring onto the beautiful lake.

To add to the fun on Lake George, we took our rented boat to the mariner and hopped into our car for the children's paradise. There was Gas Light Village which consisted of amusement rides, plus many other theme amusement parks for the children. The streets on Lake George were always crowded with families. There were many stores and restaurants for all to enjoy.

Lake George was definitely addictive and it always kept us coming back year after year.

Please come back in a few weeks for a continuation of Lake George and our near tragic experience

Where do you take your family on vacation that you enjoy the most? Please click on the comment box. Lets share some ideas and events!

THE MOST MEMORABLE THING ABOUT MY DAD

2010-06-16T01:46:00.009-04:00

Although my dad passed away 38 years ago, he has always been in my heart and thoughts. Whether a man resembling my dad came into sight, or a voice from a man who sounded like him, I wished it was my dad and not the stranger.

As I watched my husband carrying our children one at a time playing piggy back, galloping and making them laugh, I reflected back in time when my dad did the same thing to me when I was little. Now I see my children playing piggy back with their children.

The endless hours playing Monopoly, scrabble, jig saw puzzles and many more games with my dad, was later repeated when my children became parents and played with their little ones..

The numerous vacations, playing with me in the water, helping with homework and giving me quality attention made my dad very special especially the story telling and the good night kisses.

One remarkable thing I remember when I was a little girl was my father standing on his head just to make me laugh because I was ill and did not want to take my medicine.

Some dads pick unique pet names for their children. My dad used to call me "my little chicken" because I was small and petite. He very rarely called me by my birth name unless he was angry with me.

My dad was always warm and gentle. People liked him, as he always made them feel special. I loved him very much because he made me feel special too.

I miss you Dad!

WHAT WAS THE MOST MEMORABLE TIMES YOU HAD WITH YOUR DAD?

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A MOTHER'S DAY STORY HOW WE STOPPED OUR CHILD FROM BEING KIDNAPPED AND YEARS LATER OUR GRANDDAUGHTER

2010-05-09T13:19:00.007-04:00

Since today is Mother's Day and we are approaching summer, I would like to share a true experience that happened to me and later to my family..

It was a very hot summer day in Colorado. We celebrated our little granddaughter, Jessica's 2nd birthday. Her mommy and daddy made a big deal over their children's birthdays with balloons all over their living room and up the stairway. A dozen presents waiting for little Jessica to open as grandma and grandpa looked on. Gummy is my name which replaced grandma, as it was easy to say when she was a baby and it stuck till this day.

The following day we drove to Water World for a wonderful day of adventure and fun. We parked our belongings at the little kiddie pool which looked like a lake. In the pool was a sliding pond going down to another pool . There were table and chairs for picnicking along one side of the pool,. It was fenced off, so no children could wonder away. It looked very conducive for the safety of children, or so I thought.

Leaving the stroller and our things behind, we left the area for some tube fun. It was the best time of my adult life, feeling like a kid again. I loved sharing the tube with my grandchildren going down the slides. After trying out their other rides, we went back to our table and chairs for some lunch. We stayed there for awhile resting and enjoying watching our little 2 year old play in the water. The others continued playing with the other rides.

Later, they all returned, to get ready to pack up for home. My daughter in law was busy collecting their belongings and collecting the children from the pool. She dried off the wetness from our little granddaughter and instructed me to watch her while she was going to find our grandson Justin who was five years old.

When she got Justin out of the water they returned to my table. I was watching our granddaughter all the time, but my eyes must have been off her when her mother returned to the table. to dry the little guy off.., My husband asked where our little 2 year old Jessica was. I could not believe she was missing right in front of us. My son and husband ran into the kiddie pool and the other side of the big slide but now where was she to be found. We were getting frantic. My daughter in law sat down holding my grandson crying, while I demanded everyone scream for help.

Who cares if we sounded like a low class citizens. I walked out of the gate which was like a maze. It was difficult to get out as you had to walk around a bit. Screaming on top of my lungs, "Jessica, Jessica" I ran out of the gate. A woman heard me yelling and asked me if I was looking for a little blond child. I said yes, and asked where she was. The lady told me that a woman and man were walking with her but when they heard my yelling they walked away. Then another lady followed her to the direction of the refreshment counter It was in an enclave hidden from the walkway with a rest room adjacent to it. There was a long line of people waiting to get in the bathroom. At the refreshment area, I screamed for my granddaughter and yelled for the police. "Please help me someone, police, police, help" But no one came out to say "here is your granddaughter,"

As we were circling the area, we noticed a woman in her 40's holding her in her arms waiting in line to get into the rest room, We grabbed Jessica from her arms and stupidly ran back with her to her parents.We knew they were beside themselves and we wanted to stop their pain as soon as possible. What was so strange, why didn't that lady step out of line to say she found her. Why wasn't Jessica crying when the stranger was holding her? Why didn't she put her arms out to us when she saw us? It was all such a mystery until we returned Jessie to her parents.

A gentleman who was at the next table from us, came over and said " I am sorry to intrude, but I could not help notice the commotion of your missing child, We are so happy for all of you that you found her. You are very lucky especially what is going on in Disney World, or Land.. Could not remember." What do you mean", I said."Didn't you read it in the papers? There was a kidnapping ring that went to Disney world or Disney Land. They take the children into the bathroom, change their clothes, put color on their hair and drug them so they wont cry. They caught the kidnappers because the mother who gave an exact identification of clothing described the sneakers in great detail. The kidnappers forgot to change the child's shoes. Thus, the child was found harmlessly but drugged" Their security system was excellent as they closed the gates making sure no one could enter or leave."

After hearing his story, my son demanded we go back to the ladies room to find that woman. But she was gone,. He was so angry, blaming me, his wife, everyone. I could not blame him. It was horrible. My voice was never the same again and eventually I had a larynectomy It could have been from screaming and perhaps smoking earlier.

Afterwards we put the pieces together. My daughter in law said, she noticed a couple sitting at the table on the other side of us with no children, She was wondering how come they were there if they had no children, Busy having fun with her family, she paid no attention at the time. When we found Jessie, she did not put her hands out to us when she saw us and was not crying. The fact that the lady did not step forward to hand us our child caused further suspicion They must have grabbed her with the confusion of packing up, and carried her over the fence which was about three or four feet tall.

We looked all over for the security guard, police etc. But the only people we found were teenagers manning the first aid shack. They were no help. I could not believe that Water World in Colorado had no security. I tried contacting the company but got no response. We were extremely happy we found her and tried to forget about it.
Until we started hearing about missing children. They were not as lucky as our Jessie. They were found dead. Every missing child reminds me of how lucky we were. I still cry out for all those lost children who suffered before they died. I cried for their parents and family as well.

Perhaps people think I over react when I cry each time I hear the news of a kidnapping. Some do not know my story while others do and understand, This story must not be in a closet. It must be told all the time. Never, never take for granted for one minute that your child will be in the same position you left her. Perhaps 99% for that moment she will stay close. But that 1% can be deadly.

On another occasion many years prior when our daughter, Stacy was about two or three, I took her to a department store. Looking at children clothes for her, she disappeared .She was just beside me. She wanted out of the stroller and was right by me. Screaming on top of my lungs, I yelled her name. She was nowhere in sight.

Our daughter, was afraid of escalators.. Every time I carried her up or down she would cry. So I knew she did not go downstairs by herself. However, I yelled her name anyway down the escalator as it was riding up. just in case because she was nowhere on my floor. I remember my husband always said to me to refrain from screaming out for your children as it sounds very common. I did not care how it sound. After screaming several times, for the police, help and so on, I heard my daughter voice coming from down the escalator as it was going up I didn't care. I ran down the up escalator to her. I did not know if I should hit or kiss her. I chose to hug her tightly. "How did you get downstairs," I asked. "Mommy," she said. "A lady took me by my hand to take me to my mommy. When I saw she was taking me out side, I heard your voice, and broke out of her hand to the escalator. Today my daughter has a three year old and the fear continues...

We are all human and it is difficult to watch with your eyes wide open 100% when you are with your child. You have to be lucky. With a blink of an eye, your child disappears and wanders maybe into the wrong hands. But with what is going on these days, it is wise to try getting to that percentage. Besides little children wandering, there are sick people out there who stalk and watch their routine. They wait for that 1% moment to crab them..

A buddy system is always recommended even in teen years. Never take your siblings, children grandchildren or any child you care for, for granted that they will stay by your side. Not for a moment!

God Bless

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY
..

THE HORROR OF THE TUMBLING BOUNCE HOUSE

2010-03-16T23:55:00.013-04:00

It was about five years ago in May when we visited our granddaughter, Jessica, to celebrate her 6th birthday. We took our adorable Maltese puppy, Mindy with us. She was about three months old and an excellent traveler. We felt very fortunate having her house trained so early.

While my daughter in law was busy preparing for the birthday party, our son was helping with balloon blowing in the house. Sitting out side enjoying the beautiful weather, my husband and I watched the man assemble and blow up the bounce house. All children enjoy bouncing in it.

My husband commented that one stake was not inserted into the ground because the bounce house was mostly on the lawn and partly on the street. The property was not level, as he tried to do the best he could. "I do not think this is secure" my husband said to the man, as he was concerned that the day might get too windy. He assured us that he knew what he was doing and it would be okay to leave one rope unsecured in the ground. He had a huge gasoline driven inflating machine over the unsecured rope holding it down in place.

It was wonderful watching the children arrive with their colorful wrapped presents. They immediately removed their shoes and went on line to jump in the bounce house. "Only 6 children under a certain weight" the man said. So everyone had to take turns going into the house. We felt good about his rules.

Sitting outside watching the children having fun was amusing. Mindy was tied up to the camping chair and we enjoyed the beautiful weather. How wonderful it felt. Coming from Florida where the humidity was high it seemed like we lived in a bubble. The strong sun and cool breeze felt good flowing through me that day The fresh air was exhilarating, making me doze off.

Suddenly a strong gust of wind came in. I was awoken by Mindy's barking, which was the first time I heard her bark so loud. I could not believe my eyes and thought I was still sleeping with a bad dream. The bounce house was rolling over the cars and pickup trucks. Tumbling like a wheel with the wind pushing the wheel. "Oh my God" I yelled. "The children are in the bounce house. Somebody help me catch the house." I ran as fast as I could trying to catch it preventing it from tumbling further down the street. But it was a giant house with the heavy gas blower machine attached to the ropes. All I could think of was the poor children tumbling like clothes in a washing machine but without suds.

"Could they survive" Where are all the neighbors who were just outside?" I cried, as I was running to catch it. But I fell flat on my stomach and was screaming. It was amazing I did not get a heart attack at that moment. I worried about the children being injured or killed. And what if there were children playng in the street. The bounce house would have killed them for sure, expecially with the heavy attached machine flying through the air, hitting the vehicles.

One of the parents came over to help me stand up. While wiping my tears, he said. "Don't worry," The children are in the house having birthday cake. They are safe. " You were sleeping so peacefully, no one wanted to wake you" My daughter in law was busy with the party, and was unaware that I was napping outside. My husband was inside taking video pictures.

While I was sleeping, the wind started up just after the children went into the house to continue with the birthday party.

The question in my mind was, what would have happened if the six children were in the bounce house when the gust of wind uprooted the bounce house? Would their little weight hold the house down, or would they have tumbled?

After researching in Google, I learned other  bounce houses broke loose as well. Unfortunately those incidents were too numerous to mention, including lots of injuries.

In my humble opinion, please don't allow your kids to enter one if it is not on level ground.   Check to see that all the stakes around the house are secured in the ground. Make sure the weather is calm with no wind.

Now that the cold weather is behind us, many out door birthday parties will take place. Bounce houses have become very popular and I urge every one to be cautious with your children.

Did you or anyone else you know had similar experiences? Please comment. If you are having a hard time with the comment box, I will be happy to publish it for you if you email your comment to

iris@pushthewheel.com
What do you think?

POLE DANCING IN THE NEXT OLYMPICS?

2010-02-24T23:18:00.004-05:00

Pole Dancing originally started in strip clubs all over the world for many years. Now advocates are circulating petitions for a test event at the 2012 Olympics and a more formal event four years later in Rio de Janeiro.

When I first heard about Pole Dancing, I thought it was a ridiculous attempt to downgrade the Olympics. Taking some time to do research, I found articles where people are going to sport and fitness clubs as a way to tone bodies. Although there are sensual erotic movements in pole dancing, those movements will naturally be eliminated if accepted into the Olympics.

Meanwhile,there are Pole Dancing championships like this one below all over the world

Pole dancer Mai Sato, 29, does her daily workout at a studio in Tokyo, Japan, last week. Sato is the world champion in her sport

Hong Kong-based Ania Przeplasko, the founder of the International Pole Dancing Fitness Association, the sport's fledgling supervisory body, believes Olympic recognition is only a matter of time and would be a victory for underappreciated sports worldwide

As I observed the talented couples ice skating, they too, gave a sensual performance. I loved the romance and drama in which they performed. So why couldn’t Pole Dancing be a sport if done in good taste?

Too be honest, I have never seen Pole Dancing in person. Have you? What do you think? Do you know anyone who is doing this for a fitness program? Do you think it could be cleaned up for the Olympics? Please comment my readers would love to hear about your opinion and experience if any

MY HAITIAN ADVENTURE

2010-01-16T23:50:00.031-05:00

In another life back in the late 60’s, I created costume jewelry and hand crochet snoods. In addition, I sold DO IT YOURSELF JEWELRY KITS. Acquiring all the department store accounts in New York State, and some boutiques, my business was growing. Two manufacture representatives represented my line. I had to use different names and labels, selling the same product to two different companies. One represented Jobbers while the other, retail stores. Eventually my line was sold all over the country, including Canada.

When the orders increased to tremendous volume, my husband and I had to fly to Haiti where labor was cheap. In our line of business we had to ship six colors of each style to the retail trade in one delivery

At home, we had a sleep in maid taking care of our 2 and 4 year old boys while we were training Haitians in one of Haiti’s plants.

Arriving into Haiti’s airport we were greeted by soldiers with mirrored sun glasses, holding machine guns staring at us. We had no knowledge about Haiti and the political revolution that had occurred years ago.

Haiti, a small Caribbean nation of about 8 million people was a slave nation up to 1791 when Toussaint’s Overture helped the black slaves’ revolt and became free. After his death, the political turmoil started again and life for the Haitians became unbearable.

Francois Duvalier, a country doctor turned out to be the worst tyrant in history. A sadistic killer and the most frightening man ever was known as Papa Doc. With his thugs, the Ton Ton Macoutes, known as the Boogyman, in Haitian Creole, was feared by the Haitians as they were the security force of his private army. Papa Doc was known as the High Priest.

Not knowing that Haiti was a bizarre dangerous place to live, we bypassed customs quickly as our contractor was politically acceptable to the Ton Ton’s. We thought Haiti was just a poor country, but we never dreamed it was a violent one.

Looking out the window of our escorted Mercedes Benz, I could not believe how primitive the people were. There were women carrying baskets of food on their heads, like the movies we watched. People were running after the Mercedes, begging. I asked the driver what the crime rate was, as I was very frightened and did not know what to expect. He assured me that there was little crime on the island, but don't mess with a Haitian or he will perform Voodoo on you. Thinking it was a joke, I learned later that Voodoo was common practice.

After arriving at the El Rancho in Port Au Prince, a modest motel to my standards, but deluxe in Haiti. There were only two motels in Haiti. We met some white people whom we thought were guests. After introducing each other, I learned they liked to hang around the motel looking to meet the new guests. They lived in Haiti all year round, as they had their manufacturing business there.They lived like kings in a big haciendas with maids, servants, drivers, cooks and everything else you could possibly imagine. Their wives were miserable, wishing they had a bagel and some nova lox. They occasionally flew to Miami to break up the monotony visiting family and friends, and of course shopping.

It was about seven in the evening when I tried calling home to see if our boys were okay. To our frustration, we could not get service. Haiti shut down their phone system every day for a couple of hours. I hated the fact that we were helpless not knowing what was going on at home. In those days, cell phones were not available.

The following day, we were driven to the plant where I had to show the workers how to crochet the snoods to my styles. The plant was brightly lit with huge windows bringing in the light. One by one the workers piled in until they shut the doors. Hundreds more were peering into the windows begging for work. In no time flat you could not see day light because of all the Haitians covering the windows hoping to be picked for the second shift. It was pitiful. Then the air condition went off at noon, as electricity was being rationed.

The next day our contractor took us to the Iron Market which was similar to a flee market for the cruise ships. As he was driving on the road with no traffic lights, anyone in the way would get run over. It was that simple. The only thing that was respected was a funeral procession..

People were running after our car begging. When we got out of the car, it was a hassle passing all the beggars. When we finally got into the Iron Market, there were all kinds of gifts and novelties to buy. It was their only tourist store in Haiti. One Haitian tried to sell my husband a pair of shoes. He said he did not want it. But they picked him up anyway and made him try on the shoe as one person put the shoe on him. “Get me out of here," he yelled As he disappeared for a moment, I yelled out to him, “Lenny, Lenny, and the whole place yelled out his name, following him, anxiously awaiting him to buy something. After making a few purchases, our contractor ushered us out of the building into the car. All the Haitians ran after us. Once we got into the car, the beggars covered the windows, where we could not see day light. One old man took off his glasses to show us he had no eyes. I thought we were going to faint. There were many people lamed with no feet, arms, and other deformities, too gory to describe.

When we arrived back at our motel, we started to pack for home. Needing something at the drug store, the hotel sent a man to do the errand. When he returned to our motel room, we gave him a $2.00 tip. The man stayed outside our room and would not leave.

We called the manager complaining that the man was not leaving. We were told that the errand boy was afraid of being reprimanded for taking advantage of us because he took too much money. He was terrified and did not know what to do.

That evening we were invited to a night club by our contractor and his executives. We were introduced to a journalist, like the Walter Winchell.of Haiti. He was a dapper dressed gentleman with spats covering his shoes, carrying a swagger stick under his arm. My husband noticed a wire coming out of it when he was secretly recording what we were saying to our contractor. When we told our contractor about the secret wire, he got very concerned and shook nervously as his brother was a political prisoner.

We were extremely ecstatic about leaving Haiti and going home. While we were waiting for the plane to let us board, we attempted to speak politics to our contractor. He was literally shaken and urged us not to speak about politics to him as he feared for his life. He said there were microphones all around us. As I looked around, I could not tell. But later, when we came home, and after kissing the ground of our country, we saw the movie “The Comedians the book was written by Graham Green. Everything in the movie was true.

Although our buyers were extremely patient with us extending their delivery dates, it did not take long to find out that our materials were missing. Our merchandise was stolen and not being delivered on time. When a carton was delivered, it came in with one color. The following month another color. We needed assorted colors of six, which was what was contracted. Eventually our orders got canceled.

One thing I learned from this experience; it is impossible to contract work to Haiti unless you are physically working there every day. That is why the American people we met living and working in Haiti had businesses that needed to be watched. The people steal whatever they can to survive. The whole country in Haiti was corrupt.

It is such a shame about all the corruption, as Haiti is beautiful. That place if turned around could be a money pit. The developers and venture people would have a field day, making it a paradise place to live, work and vacation.

Haiti has two classes of people. the poverty stricken and the educated upper crust. Those who were professionals and business people thrived, but still live in fear. Every day the Ton Ton's arrest someone for political reasons, and there is no freedom of speech.

Is it any wonder these poor Haitians flee for their lives in unstable boats to come to our country for a better life? Very few made it and survived. Others who made it were sent back to Haiti.

Who made this statement? "For every bad thing something good follows." It took a disaster like this recent earthquake to allow 150,000 children and their families to finally come into our country legally to house, feed and educate them. My heart goes out to all these poor people. We should welcome them with open arms for the way they lived. However, I do have one question; if we are running in such a steep deficit, how, and where will we get the money to take care of them?

Do you have the answer? Please comment below as this is a very important issue and our readers would like your opinion

If you wish to leave a comment or read other comments, click on the comment tab at the bottom of this blog.

Some people are complaining they cannot make a comment because of a glitch with either their browser or our site. In that case, please email me your comment and I will publish it. Just mention if you want it to be anonymous an/or if you wish me to publish it. We are trying to fix my comment tab. Thanks everyone for your interest in my blog.

Please email to: iris@pushthewheel.com

SHOCKING NEWS ABOUT ANOTHER CAUSE OF CANCER

2010-01-10T01:20:00.005-05:00

While surfing Face book, I recognized a son of a neighbor of ours whom we have not seen in forty five years. How thrilling to see this once young kid, now a middle aged man with teenage children.

It has been years since we have seen our old neighbors from our first house on Long Island. We always wondered why we never ran into any of them in all the years when we traveled.

Thinking it was time to connect, I invited his mother to our home to reacquaint each other and catch up with all the years missed. She told me her husband had a stroke years ago and was recently admitted into a nursing home for life. To my horror, after asking about old friends and neighbors, I was told that each member of most of the houses on our street passed away from cancer. A couple of people died from heart attacks. Three family members who lived directly across the street from where we lived, died from brain tumors. Someone who lived in our house died of cancer as well.

The news saddend me wondering "why?" I suspected the reason but who was I to predict something like this would happen to each member of a household?

We lived in a community near Kennedy Airport. Our view was awesome, over looking Jamaica Bay. In the evening the airport lit up magnificently. At first we did not notice the noise and fumes from the planes flying so low over our houses. We were busy making friends, decorating our homes, bringing up our little children and enjoying our new community.

Then our sleepless nights occurred often when the noise awoke us. Listening to TV was difficult Our picture frames were always crooked and the house vibrated as well. I remember watching our little kids running out of the house to play, holding their ears as the plane flew over them. It appeared we lived in a flight pattern where the planes flew over several times during the day and evening.

Our son became ill with asthma as soon as we moved in at the age of three. Medications did not help and he was put on a strict diet. It took a few years to sell our home and I can see now, we got out with our lives.

As soon as we moved up state, with no planes in sight, my son never had another asthma attack until our furniture arrived from storage. I washed everything down well and polished all the wood. He has been fine since and is doing well as a young 48 year old.

Still sadness lingers over the news. I researched Google and learned it was definitely confirmed by many studies, living close to airports causes cancer, heart diseases, strokes as well as other conditions. It seems the noise does something to the immune system of the body. It affects people differently. However, fumes from the planes are definitely the cause of cancer.

Researchers who have done studies say, people who live near the airports should get out as fast as they can before it's too late.

This is an example of how low planes fly over the houses near airports.

This is how we lived for eight years

Do you know anyone living near the airport?

What are your thoughts in this study?

Please comment below

THE WONDERS OF FACE BOOK

2010-01-04T22:00:00.005-05:00

Face book is a great place to find old friends and acquaintances. If you want to be found, that is. Old classmates found me, however some were not recognizable until I went into my year book.

Sometimes I reflect back to when neighboring children played with our children in our yard. Wondering what they look like today caught my curiosity. As I typed their name in the search box, I anxiously waited to see their picture. "Could this be, the cute little girl with the big brown eyes that dominated her little face?" My, she is a grown woman, looking completely different today. I never would have recognized her. Yet others maintained the same face, only they are older and a little heavier than when they were children. It was thrilling looking into their friends pictures seeing how much they have grown with children of their own.

What is more amazing was a name I recognized from my community address book. It was quite unusual and one that would be remembered. When glancing on Face book, I noticed my cousin married a woman with the same maiden name as my neighbor. After emailing both, neither knew each other. But a little while later both were face book friends. Is that called a Shidoch? (Yiddish)

I have become a little addicted as I am with my emails. I enjoy going into my home page to read about our grandchildren, if they are having a good day, or what ever is on their mind. It keeps me up to speed on what they are thinking. Once when speaking with my daughter on the phone, we chatted for hours. Yet on Face book she spoke of things she forgot to tell me. How wonderful is that!

Yet other news of my Face book friends can be eliminated if the content annoys me, yet they will still remain on my friend list. It has never been that bad where I had to block anyone.

There is still one more person to find. An old neighbor and friend since childhood and one whom I loved. Her name is Gloria Kaufman, an alumni of Berkeley and I would like to know if she is okay.

Do you have any interesting stories about your Face book experiences? Are you looking for someone too? Please comment below.

More about Face book and the most sorrowful and alarming news I have yet to report in my next issue.

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FORWARD TO IN THE YEAR OF 2010?

2009-12-30T00:39:00.007-05:00

This New Year of 2010 will be a remarkable year. We will continue to watch the change of the value of our dollar. Will this rise continue? Or is this false hope and only temporary? Will we have to go to war to build up our economy? Will the stock market keep rising as it has since last March? Will most of us benefit from the Public Health Plan? Will we ever win the fight on terrorism?

It is disturbing to me, our State Department has lists of Suspected Terrorists. They also have another list called No Fly list. These two separate lists in my humble opinion are ludicrous as there should be only one list which should include airplanes and other public places.

It was recently noted that a terrorist, the Underwear Bomber's father who is a respected Nigerian banker, reported that his son was a Jihadist with terrorist tendencies. After the father reported him, the son was put the Suspected List, but not on the No Fly List. He was recently caught making a bomb on an American airline. Why is Obama saying this is an isolated incident, when in fact the son is on the Suspected List?

Now due to the pressures he is presented with, Obama is ordering a review of the Watch List System. But why was this not done before? It has been eight years since 911, and our government has not got their act together yet to protect our country in this manner

It would be interesting to hear your views. Please comment below.

FOR NOW, I WISH YOU ALL GOOD HEALTH, HAPPINESS AND PEACE
MAY OUR COUNTRY PROSPER AND OUR WEALTH RETURN FOR THE NEW YEAR

HAND MADE HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS

2009-12-11T16:03:00.007-05:00

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EMAIL iris@pushthewheel.com

PHONE 561 734 1177

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Our maltese dog, Mindy loves wearing it in and out

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Ideal for newborn and birthday gifts

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HATS

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Custom made with your size and colors

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Order for the holidays

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phone 561 734 1177

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THE WINNERS OF THE HALLOWEEN COSTUME CONTEST

2009-12-05T02:26:00.001-05:00

THE CUTEST LITTLE DEVIL
Ethan Hirsch

THE CUTEST LITTLE MINNIE MOUSE

Kristina Morales

THE MOST HANDSOME BOY COSTUME

THE MOST SCARIEST COSTUME

Mat Chait

THE PRETTIEST LITTLE PRINCESS
Sienna Mello

THE BEST ADULT COSTUME

Brittany and Lance Dichter

THE MOST CREATIVE ADULT COSTUME

Rita & Irv SILVERMAN

MY UNEXPECTED FIRST DAY GOING TO WORK

2009-11-11T01:13:00.010-05:00

I have always pushed the wheel in everything I did. Who ever thought I would literally PUSH THE WHEEL. For years I have job hunted but to no avail. It is obvious firms are reluctant to hire a 70year old woman, no matter how qualified. And, with my experience in business, I felt I deserved a proper salary.

Last week I finally bit the bullet and accepted a job working four hours a day, five days a week. with salary and commission. It was to be my first day on the job after being interviewed and tested the day before. I felt uneasy about walking in the dark parking garage of the building that I was to work in. However, I proceeded with caution but missed a step close to a ramp and fell. Bewildered, I could not believe what had happened to me. Fortunately my cell phone was within my reach, and called 911. After ex rays and a thorough examination my ankle was diagnosed with a torn ligament. I had to stay off my feet for months and try to PUSH THE WHEEL in the wheel chair.

My husband hardly knows his way around the kitchen, but in a pinch he could microwave soup. Since I had to stay off my feet, it would be his duty to take care of me with the cooking and cleaning. "What do you want for breakfast?" he asked the second day of the accident." Gee honey, I am in the mood for scrambled eggs." I said. Watching that long look on his face, I felt so sorry for him, "Why don't you want your usual cold cereal?" he cried. "You know, honey, I am just in the mood for eggs" I said as. I lay in bed with my leg elevated feeling so helpless. "Okay" he sighed, "eggs it will be.” Within a few minutes, on a tray, he delivered the best eggs I have ever had. He chopped onions, green peppers, celery and tomatoes. It was cooked to perfection and I was amazed. It was his first attempt in cooking anything. His coffee came out perfect.

The next day my daughter in law's mother called to find out how I felt. I could tell she was anxious to hear how I was going to manage Thanksgiving dinner in my house, as it was my turn to be hostess. She felt badly by not offering to help, as her hand was in a cast from a recent surgery. My daughter in law offered, but they have a cat which her mother's friend is allergic.

"Don't worry", I said "I will let Lenny do the cooking. The men will clean up, and my daughter in law will take care of me and her mother," "But Lenny does not know how to cook", they said," I will tell him what to do. It will be fine. Don’t worry. This will be a very memorable Thanksgiving."

Every one is wondering how it will turn out… to be continued after Thanksgiving

Meanwhile how is your Thanksgiving planning going? Are you looking forward to seeing your friends or relatives? How do you make your holiday dinners memorable? Do you have a plan? Please share

Oh, by the way, did you email me your Halloween pictures yet?

ENTER OUR COSTUME CONTEST SHOW OFF YOUR CHILDREN OR GRANDCHILDREN'S HALLOWEEN PHOTOGRAPHS

2009-11-02T18:29:00.019-05:00

Now that Halloween is over, there must be lots of goodies around the house. I am sure the kids had fun scaring all their neighbors and friends by Trick or Treating.

But the memories of the fun are the costumes that were purchased, borrowed or created.

Please submit the cutest photograph of your children or grandchildren in halloween costumes. Email them to iketrader@gmail.com no later than December 2, 2009.

If you wish, list the name of the child and phone number. Your phone number will not be published.

Every picture submitted will be published on my website December 5 2009 The best costume will have a full feature of the child and family, plus a prize

ADULTS.. We have a costume contest for you too. Show it off!
______________________________________________________________

Baby fell into subway tracks and train ran over baby. See what happens

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

MY UNFORGETTABLE SHIVA CALL

2009-10-31T03:22:00.008-04:00

A few years ago, we learned about an unfortunate death of a grown son of one of our neighbors, living in our adult community. Although I knew the family casually and was in their home only once, I thought it would be nice to pay my respect by visiting them.

My dear friend and neighbor wanted to accompany me. We agreed to meet out side to walk to their house which was around the corner. As we were walking I told my friend that I had to go back to my house to get the address. Since I was only their once, I wanted to make sure we knew where we were going.

My friend advised me that it was not necessary, since it was only around the corner. “If we see a lot of cars, then we know where at the right house,” she said. “But, what if we walk into the wrong house and someone pulls out a gun on us thinking we are intruders" I argued. She giggled and said not to worry "It is not a good idea.” My friend suggested, “we will open the door slowly, and if we see people, then we are in the right house” Seemed logical, but scary. she giggled and said” don’t worry.” The fuss was because it was not appropriate to ring the door bell when one makes a Shiva Call. You must open the door yourself and walk in

When we approached the house, I nervously but slowly opened the door. I saw bridge chairs lined up in a circle. Recognizing some friendly neighbors, I felt assured it was the right place and motioned my friend to come in, We eye greeted the ones we knew, and a lady whom we did not know came over to us to say she was a close friend of the family. Then a gentleman came out of the bedroom to acknowledge we were there. I went over to him and expressed my sympathy over his loss. He thanked me for coming. I asked, “Where is your wife” as I wanted to express my sympathy to her as well. “My wife is dead” he cried. “Oh my God, when did she die” I cried. No one told me and that kind of news would have traveled fast. Perhaps she died of a heart attack because of the death of her son. Wild thoughts came into mind. The gentleman scratched his head with disbelief. A neighbor came over to us and whispered that we were in the wrong Shiva house. The one we were to go to was a few doors down. “But there were no cars there, I cried, silently” The room was spinning. My friend and I looked at each other and motioned to leave. Difficult to control ourselves with this embarrassment, we backed out of the house quietly and left, When the door was closed and we were safely our on the lawn, we cracked up, holding each other from falling down. We were hysterical crying. and laughing at the same time I wanted to kill my friend for not allowing me to get the right address, although her logic was not a bad one,

The hour was getting late and we had to straighten up to compose ourselves. We still needed to pay the Shiva Call. We waited awhile until the tears vanished from our eyes. We continued to walk to the next house. “No cars were there. How can that be a Shiva House?” we said. We opened the door ever so slowly. No chairs were lined up in the living room. There were no visitors except one of our very dear friends sitting beside the mourner, the mother who lost her son. We sat down beside the women still trying so hard to hide our emotions. I had asked the woman how her son died. She escorted me into another room to tell me her story privately. I guess she did not want to repeat it again to her other visitor. While listening with sadness, we heard hysterical laughter coming from the other room. I figured my friend told our other friend what happened. But the curious look on the face of the neighbor in morning made me tell her what happened. “I hope you do not mind me telling you an embarrassing moment a few minutes ago. I do not want you to think they are laughing because of you.” She replied “Please tell me, I can use a good laugh.” After the story was told, she broke into laughter and thanked me for changing her mood for a little while.

What are the chances of two Shiva Calls on the same block at the same time?.

Do you have a story? Please click on the comment box. Would love to read it.

A FUNNY STORY ABOUT MY SHOPPING EXPERIENCE IN COSTCO

2009-10-21T01:32:00.022-04:00

Shopping at Costco last week was an unbelievable experience. Among my purchases was a ready made barbequed chicken which was no where to be found . Unaware that I left it behind, I realized it missing when I was about to prepare my dinner for the evening. After looking in my refrigerator, and the trunk of my car, I asked my husband if he saw it. He told me that if I do not find it soon, the chicken will find me. (the odor)

I called the manager of Costco and complained my chicken was missing from my groceries. He told me that a chicken was left in a wagon in the parking lot and someone returned it to the store. I explained that it never happened to me before as I was always careful not to leave anything behind, I have heard that people accidentally leave their purses behind because they leave it in the wagon when they shop. I never thought that I would be the one to leave food behind.

"Don't worry," the manager said. "Just come in with your receipt and we will give you a new chicken." What a wonderful store Costco is. I just love shopping there.

That evening I looked for my receipt and could not find it. I am usually very good with keeping my receipts. Perhaps this is a comedy of errors. I called Costco the next day and explained my mysterious receipt was missing. "That's okay" he said, "just come to the counter by the hot dog stand, and we will honor you with another chicken. Just bring in your Costco card."

The following day Florida had its first cold spell. It was very much welcomed as the hot season in Florida was starting to get on my nerves. I dressed in my new warm red velour outfit and drove back to Costco. Here is the experience that exasperated me.

I took the wagon before entering the store as I intended to purchase a few more things. No one goes to Costco for just one thing. I noticed the store was mobbed with people. I guess the snowbirds finally arrived. I went to the desk where the manager told me to go. A nice lady asked for my Costco card and said "are you going to buy anything else?" I should have answered no and just have gotten a credit, but I did say I wanted another chicken. "Go to the register when you finish shopping" she said. "Just tell the cashier that you do not have to pay for it and to have her wave to me. I will approve it." I thought that was a little odd because they usually give a credit or cash and be done with it. It seemed like such a hassle, I thought.

When my shopping was complete, I went to the register and told the cashier I was not to pay for the chicken and to please wave to the lady at the desk. "HEY, CATHY" he yelled out loud. "This lady in red says she don't want to pay for the chicken." I did not say that to him in that way and I became embarrassed because there was a line behind me "Let the lady in red go, she does not have to pay for the chicken," she yelled back. I was really getting upset because of spectacle that was being created. Just as I left the cashier I heard the lady say on her loud speaker to the guy who checks out the receipts before customers are allowed to leave the store, which is standard procedure "The lady in red did not pay for the chicken, let her go." The young man with his magic marker in his hand was goofing off with the person in front of me and did not pay attention to the loud speaker. He carefully checked my items and noticed one chicken was not paid for. "Hey lady," he said "you did not pay for the chicken." I answered, "If you were not goofing off, you would have heard her tell you on the loud speaker that I did not have to pay for it." At that point, he picked up his microphone and announced "Hey Cathy, there is a lady here in red that did not pay for the chicken." Then the voice over the loud speaker said "Let the lady in red go. She does not have to pay for the chicken." By the time I got into my car I was so embarrassed I wanted to cry, I never experienced anything like it. I do not think I will ever complain to Costco again for missing items, and I will never shop in red.

At the time I did not think it was funny until I told my friends who were rolling on the floor with laughter. ROFL

Did this ever happen to you?

MISSING LITTLE SIX YEAR OLD BOY IS FOUND

2009-10-15T16:48:00.008-04:00

Hunt On for Boy Believed to Have Been in Runaway Balloon That Crashed in Colorado

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Fox News Channel

MISSING BOY FOUND IN HIS HOME HIDING IN AN ATTAC

DEVELOPING: A homemade balloon slowly descended in a Colorado field Thursday, but the fate of a 6-year-old boy believed to be inside was not known, authorities said.
The bizarre scene played out live on television and prompted fears that the flying saucer-shaped balloon would crash with the young child inside.
The child was identified as Falcon Heene, the son of a Colorado weather-chaser. The boy and his family first appeared on the ABC series "Wife Swap" on Oct. 3, 2008 and was then voted back for the 100th episode of the show, which aired on March 13, 2009.

Police in Colorado were performing a ground search for the boy.
Cathy Davis of the Larimer County Sheriff's Department told reporters the balloon was owned by the boy's parents and tethered behind the family's home. She said two sons were playing outside when the older boy saw the younger one go into a compartment at the bottom of the balloon and fly away.
"We'll just have to respond the best we can," Davis said. "This is a first and we'll do what we need to do."

In my humble opinion, it is unlikely that a six year old boy could untie the ropes securing the helium balloon and go inside. This could be a publicity stunt. Time will tell.

I still think it was a publicity stunt. If I am wrong, then I am glad the boy is safe

October 16 interview with family the next day

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

I am still not convinced. Stunt!!!

What is your opinion?

IS THERE STILL TIME TO BUY GOLD STOCKS?

2009-10-15T03:03:00.000-04:00

Gold shines for investors

- CNNMoney.com - 13 minutes ago
Gold prices have gained luster as of late and many expect it to keep shining as investors look to hedge themselves against the threat of inflation and a weak U.S. dollar.

In my humble opinion the gold market seems to be in bubble territory. Yet the hype is still on to buy gold because of the devaluation of the dollar. The oil producing companies of the world are discussing getting off the dollar (although they are denying it) as a world currency. What to do? I was told to buy gold in the 90's. But who knew? The tech sector was on fire and that was where all the traders went. So when the herd goes in one direction, do we follow? Now gold is hot, just like the techs were. Should we believe gold still has legs to go higher? I am just angrey at myself for not jumping in sooner. The old saying is "BETTER LATE THAN NEVER". In the 90's I jumped into silver and made a great profit when I sold. When it went down, I purchased more. Then I got stuck when silver declined.The Hunt brothers tried to corner the market and got caught with me owning it. It has been almost thirty years and I am still not even. All the analysts say Gold is going higher. So whom am I to go against them? Some say, if you must buy gold, buy some puts to protect yourself. Okay, I am going to dabble a little. Below are stocks for everyone's budget. All you have to do is research these.

The following is for your review:
After researching, please comment on those stocks you like so others can take a look as well. We value your opinion. HAPPY HUNTING!

Metals
Name	Price	Change	%Change
Aluminum Oct 09	0.73	-0.01	-1.01%
Gold Oct 09	1,049.60	-5.80	-0.55%
Copper Oct 09	2.84	-0.05	-1.70%
Palladium Oct 09	323.10	+1.15	+0.36%
Platinum Oct 09	1,331.60	-14.40	-1.07%
Silver Oct 09	17.68	-0.12	-0.70%
Gold 100 oz. Oct 09	928.40	0.00	0.00%
Silver 5000 oz. Dec 09	13.32	0.00	0.00%

Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs)
GLD   STREET TRACKS GOLD SHARES
IAU    I SHARES COMEX GOLD TRUEST
SLV    I SHARES SILVER ETF

Stocks

ABX	Barrick Gold
AEM	Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited
AGT	Apollo Gold Corporation
AU	AngloGold Ashanti
AUY	Yamana Gold
BAA	Banro Corporation
BGO	Bema Gold
BMD	Birch Resources
BVN	Compañía de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A.
CAU	Canyon Resources Corporation
CBJ	Cambior
CCJ	Cameco
CDE	Coeur d'Alene Mines
CDY	Cardero Resource Corporation
CGR	Claude Resources Inc.
DEZ	Desert Sun Mining Corporation
DROOY	DRDGold
EGI	Birch Resources
EGO	Entree Gold
FCX	Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.
FNXMF.PK	FNX Mining Company Inc.
GBN	Great Basin Gold Ltd.
GFI	Gold Fields Limited
GG	Goldcorp Inc.
GLG	Glamis Gold Limited
GOLD	Randgold Resources Limited
GRS	Gammon Lake Resources Inc
GRZ	Gold Reserve Inc.
GSS	Golden Star Resources Limited
HL	Hecla Mining Company
HMY	Harmony Gold Mining Company
IAG	IAMGOLD Corporation
IMR	IMA Exploration
IVN	Ivanhoe Mines
KGC	Kinross Gold Corporation
KRY	Crystallex International Corporation
LIHRY	Lihir Gold Ltd.
MDG	Meridian Gold Inc.
MGN	Mines Management Inc.
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JAYCEE DUGARD'S REAL PHOTO AS REPORTED IN THE NEW ISSUE OF PEOPLE MAGAZINE COMING OUT THIS FRIDAY

2009-10-14T13:32:00.016-04:00

Looking at her picture on the cover of People magazine was amazing. She is beautiful. She looks just like her beautiful mother when she was first kidnapped. Her mother was on National TV pleading the return of her daughter.

I have longed to see how Jaycee and her daughters look today. Finally we get a chance to see her.. I cannot wait to buy the next issue of People magazine this Friday. I hope to see more pictures of Jaycee and her daughters, and to read more about her experience. See her recent picture below.

Dugard, now 29, tells People magazine she's "so happy to be back with my family" after being reunited Aug. 27. People published the photo and comments from Dugard in its Wednesday issue.
Dugard is living with her mother, Terry Probyn, 50, and two daughters — Angel, 15, and Starlit, 11 — fathered by her alleged kidnapper, Phillip Garrido. Authorities say Dugard and her daughters lived in a hidden encampment of sheds and tents in Garrido's backyard.
Garrido and his wife, Nancy, have been charged with kidnapping and rape in Dugard's 1991 disappearance outside her South Lake Tahoe home. The Garridos have pleaded not guilty.
Family spokeswoman Erika Shulte told NBC's "Today" show on Wednesday that Dugard decided to release photos to People magazine as a way to "share her joy with the world" and show how well she's doing.
Shulte said Dugard has formed a very close bond with her sister, Shana, who was just a baby when Dugard was kidnapped. Dugard, her two daughters, mother and sister are close, comfortable and happy and says they "seem like any other family."
Dugard told People she rides horses, cooks meals and is thinking of collaborating on a book.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

I need your opinion. Here is a beautiful young woman. She had access to the telephone, internet, neighbors and business clients. She knew she had a family and I am sure she knew where she lived. Why didn't she escape or at least call home?

Please comment
Thank you

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Maryland may charge ACORN video-makers, State's Prosecutor heads anti-child abuse group UPDATED

2009-09-18T01:36:00.004-04:00

James O'Keefe, the filmmaker who teamed with National Journalism Center intern Hannah Giles in the ACORN video sting, now faces the prospect of being prosecuted by the Baltimore City State's Attorney for violating a Maryland law that makes it illegal to tape an individual without their prior permission.

If he is convicted, O'Keefe could spend five years in the Maryland State Prison. Yes, you read that right. Here's the complete statement issued late yesterday by the prosecutor, Patricia Jessamy:

"Baltimore, MD – September 11, 2009 – We have received inquiries from citizens and the media asking whether the Baltimore City State’s Attorneys Office would initiate a criminal investigation for acts allegedly committed at ACORN offices located in Baltimore. The only information received in reference to this alleged criminal behavior was a YouTube video. Upon review by this office, the video appears to be incomplete. In addition, the audio portion could possibly have been obtained in violation of Maryland Law, Annotated Code of Maryland Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article §10-402, which requires two party consent.

"If it is determined that the audio portion now being heard on YouTube was illegally obtained, it is also illegal under Maryland Law to willfully use or willfully disclose the content of said audio. The penalty for the unlawful interception, disclosure or use of it is a felony punishable up to five years.”

Jessamy, a Democrat, was appointed to the State's Prosecutor position in 1995 and has since been re-elected to the job three times. Among the items listed on Jessamy's extensive resume of accomplishments is that she is president of the Baltimore Child Abuse Center. She also lists her prior membership on the Governor's Council on Child Abuse and Neglect from 1995 to 1998!

Let's be clear about what is happening here: O'Keefe and Giles dressed up as a pimp and prostitute and walked into the Baltimore ACORN office seeking "tax advice" for a brothel that would include the use of 13-year-old sex slaves from San Salvador. Two ACORN advisers happily provided all kinds of advice about how to deceive federal and state tax authorities about the true nature of the "business," and how to insure that the prostitutes "keep their mouths shut."

In other words, two ACORN employees appear to have voluntarily become accessories to multiple federal, state and local crimes, including child abuse, interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution, tax evasion, and immigration law violations. The two ACORN employees may also have thus provided hard evidence that their employer should be prosecuted as a criminal enterprise under the RICO statutes.

And the Baltimore City State's Attorney may prosecute the two people responsible for exposing this heinous operation!
By: Mark Tapscott
Editorial Page Editor
09/12/09 7:56 AM EDT

Meanwhile, in most states there are video cameras posted on traffic lights to expose bad drivers speeding? Should that be illegal as well? The driver did not get permission to have his car videod.

DO YOU THINK THIS IS FAIR? DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD PUSH THE WHEEL IN GETTING MARYLAND'S LAW CHANGED.

WE NEED YOUR COMMENT. PLEASE GIVE YOUR NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS SO WE CAN COMMENT BACK TO YOU.

FIRST PHOTO OF JAYCEE DUGARD AS AN ADULT

2009-09-15T02:39:00.003-04:00

This picture was found in the recent Enquirer
magazine. Her kidnapper, Phillip Garrido owned Printing for Less, a printing business, where Jaycee helped run it. She was known by customers who dealt with her.

In back of their business card is an image of a gorgeous young woman who some believe is Jaycee. They put make up on her to make her look lovely for the picture. Some speculate that her denim jacket was in the 80's, but she could have gotten it from a thrift shop. The owner of Wayne's Barbershop in Pittsburg, Calif. met Jaycee several times when Garrido took her with him to get his hair cut. Garrido also gave him his business card with Jaycee's picture in the back. He swears it's her. Everyone is wondering what she looks like today.

Some speculators feel it might not be her, but an image of what Phillip desired in a woman, which is why he kidnapped Jaycee.

At present, her psychologist is helping her deal with confusion over her rescue, the breakup of what she thought was her family and the challenge of starting a new life. She revealed how she was raped after one month of being kidnapped.

We hope and pray that Jaycee and her daughters will adjust in society and have a happy life with the rest of her family We wish them the very best.

ACORN

i heard they found another corrupt office in Brooklyn. Now they are going to file charges against the two people who did the video pretending to be pimp and prostitute, There was a law in Maryland that defendents have to be warned that a video is being taped of them with their knowledge. Something is wrong with this. I have to look into this further. Too be continued....
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2009-09-14T01:34:00.001-04:00

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MORE BREAKING NEWS CHILD PROSTITUTION INVESTIGATION IN WASHINGTON, DC ACORN

2009-09-11T12:37:00.006-04:00

Washington, DC ACORN Video: Child Prostitution Investigation
by James O'Keefe

And then, we drove down to DC…

The scenario we posed the ACORN Housing employees in Baltimore is due to the application of similar power tactics. We gave ACORN a taste of its own medicine. ACORN was alleged to be thug-like, criminal, and nefarious. This criminal behavior was evidenced by a video of Baltimore ACORN community organizers breaking the locks on foreclosed homes. Instead of railing against their radicalism, it is best to bring out this type of radicalism. Hannah Giles and I took advantage of ACORN’s regard for thug criminality by posing the most ridiculous criminal scenario we could think of and seeing if they would comply–which they did without hesitation.

Additionally, instead of focusing on foreclosure itself, which has become seemingly as politicized as abortion, we focused on crimes more difficult for the left to defend: trafficking of young helpless girls and tax evasion. The first group represents the severely disadvantaged, the second a threat to the distribution of wealth.

While manipulation or entrapment occurs when people are encouraged to do things they otherwise wouldn’t, the pre-set trap is their own. These tactics allow the viewer to see ACORN’s soul; their playing field and their morality, out in the open. Their system is based on conflict and change for its own sake. This system is based on totalitarian principles and class war techniques. These people understand pressure, power and self-interest. When the Baltimore employees saw we were shady dealers, their instincts clicked in, as we were prime recruits.

ACORN has ascended. They elect our politicians and receive billions in tax money. Their world is a revolutionary, socialistic, atheistic world, where all means are justifiable. And they create chaos, again, for it’s own sake. It is time for us to be studying and applying their tactics, many of which are ideologically neutral. It is time, as Hannah said as we walked out of the ACORN facility, for conservative activists to “create chaos for glory.”

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BREAKING NEWS ACORN GOT CAUGHT ON TAPE

2009-09-10T18:52:00.002-04:00

This report was to be presented tomorrow. However I could not help myself. You need to know now what transpired.

A young lady who is a reporter with her associate posed as a hooker and pimp. They went to Acorn to get money to open a house of prostitution. They told the agent who was an accountant, that they are bringing in young thirteen year old girls as prostitutes. The agent told the young women to use another name and not to tell anyone what it really is.

Seeing is believing

Please view video

MORE BREAKING NEWS ABOUT THE SAME THING CAUGHT IN WASHINGTON ACORN OFICE. STAY TUNED.

As I looked on the internet for news of the Baltimore Md incident regarding the ACORN corruption, I found nothing. The only media who broadcasted it was Fox News. Google News had it on their web site today. Horray for Google. They get everything. Who needs to read other newspapers. Google has it all. In my humble opinion, all the other medias are biased.