“Fear less, hope more; Eat less, chew more; Whine less, breathe more; Talk less, say more; Love more, and all good things will be yours” ~ Sweedish Proverb
7.06.2009
7.05.2009
The Ultimate Diet
It seems like everyday a new diet book is released on the best sellers list claiming t o have the ONE answe
These books are usually divided in two categories:
These books are usually divided in two categories:
- Those that tell you to exclude a food group and
- Those that tell you to use common sense.
I think we are all familiar with the first: the low fat crazes of the 90's (Snackwells, anyone?) The Atkins craze of bacon and steak (hmmmmmm, steak) and a myriad of others that shun balance in favor for the obsessively controlled.
These books appeal to those that have deep guilt issues, and want to punish themselves for being naughty with deprivation.The second type of book is usually a spin on common sense: don't eat processed foods, there are some foods that are better than others, natural is best, eat more fruits and vegetables and less animal products AND if you do eat animal products, chose lean meats over fried pork rinds. But nobody is going to buy a book based on what your grandma already knew about food. That's why author's need a spin, an exotic twist so they call sell their books.
They need a trendy yet profoundly insecure celebrity to endorse the diet. ehem. "way of life" Maybe they'll tie some obscure mysticism tied to the way the food should be grown or prepared. They have to. Because common sense is not trendy, it's not fashionable, marketable or profitable. BUT if you embelish common sense with a trendy name (a far away, exotic vacation destination perhaps) Put a shiny cover with celebrity endorsements and submit your "way of life" to all the PR reps you know....
baby!you will make it $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
7.03.2009
The Trivial and The Divine
I was watching a foreign movie last weekend and one of the characters said something about "the trivial and the divine"
I loved the imagery that the words conjure - Like a more philosophical way of saying "everything between heaven and hell"
Basically those are good words to discribe Blogger. As soon as you hit the "Next Blog" button you are making a leap into a infinite universe of ideas, creativity, visual arts, mind clutter, advertising, philosophy, great thinkers and stunning beauties.
All waiting to be speak, to be noticed, to make a difference, to break out of a mold and show the world what fills their minds and their time.
You can hit "next Blog" and get trapped in a world of pink glossy make up and fragrant bubbles, you can land in a rudimentary attempt to sell goods, an artist attempting to shout or a lonely soul that has a hundred blog follwers and suddenly can go on existing.
Fascinating.
I dislike the 3rd party layouts that leave out the navigation button that allows you to cruise from one universe to the next.
Don't silence their voices.
I loved the imagery that the words conjure - Like a more philosophical way of saying "everything between heaven and hell"
Basically those are good words to discribe Blogger. As soon as you hit the "Next Blog" button you are making a leap into a infinite universe of ideas, creativity, visual arts, mind clutter, advertising, philosophy, great thinkers and stunning beauties.
All waiting to be speak, to be noticed, to make a difference, to break out of a mold and show the world what fills their minds and their time.
You can hit "next Blog" and get trapped in a world of pink glossy make up and fragrant bubbles, you can land in a rudimentary attempt to sell goods, an artist attempting to shout or a lonely soul that has a hundred blog follwers and suddenly can go on existing.
Fascinating.
I dislike the 3rd party layouts that leave out the navigation button that allows you to cruise from one universe to the next.
Don't silence their voices.
“Escribir es una forma de terapia. A veces me pregunto cómo se las arreglan los que no escriben, o los que no pintan o componen música, para escapar de la locura, de la melancolía, del terror pánico inherente a la condición humana.” Graham Greene
7.02.2009
Is this the Brand Name promise!
Research shows that: "hundreds of Americans each year experience acute liver failure as a result of taking acetaminophen"
I am sure makers of the popular OTC pain killer will argue that as long as people follow the label directions, no one will experience liver failure. (just a brief increase in liver enzymes, no big deal)
And that if people had common sense, they would never be near these risks. The problem that the FDA has with this argument is that many people are ingesting acetaminophen (the generic name for Tylenol) Cough and Cold medicine and a large number of pain killers from Vicodin to Fioricet all contain acetaminophen.
So what happens when the pain you are treated is not alleviated with one pill? You take another one, right? Well, in doing so many people are putting themselves at risk to overdose on acetaminophen and they don't even know it. After all, they think "I'm taking a prescription. This isn't Tylenol!"
And that's where the problem lays. The FDA is not considering taking Tylenol or Acetaminophen pills of drugstore shelves. What it would like to ban in the "hidden" combination of a controlled substance with acetaminophen.
Not surprisingly a spokes person for an agency that represents OTC medicines says: "The truth is that acetaminophen is the safest choice for pain and fever," But then again, don't forget who writes her hefty paycheck. I mean, could she even dare to hint that the FDA could be right. Not a chance! Not if she wanted to keep her job. Specially in this recession, please!
Liver Damage! What's the big deal? Isn't the liver one of those disposable organs?
I am sure makers of the popular OTC pain killer will argue that as long as people follow the label directions, no one will experience liver failure. (just a brief increase in liver enzymes, no big deal)
And that if people had common sense, they would never be near these risks. The problem that the FDA has with this argument is that many people are ingesting acetaminophen (the generic name for Tylenol) Cough and Cold medicine and a large number of pain killers from Vicodin to Fioricet all contain acetaminophen.
So what happens when the pain you are treated is not alleviated with one pill? You take another one, right? Well, in doing so many people are putting themselves at risk to overdose on acetaminophen and they don't even know it. After all, they think "I'm taking a prescription. This isn't Tylenol!"
And that's where the problem lays. The FDA is not considering taking Tylenol or Acetaminophen pills of drugstore shelves. What it would like to ban in the "hidden" combination of a controlled substance with acetaminophen.
Not surprisingly a spokes person for an agency that represents OTC medicines says: "The truth is that acetaminophen is the safest choice for pain and fever," But then again, don't forget who writes her hefty paycheck. I mean, could she even dare to hint that the FDA could be right. Not a chance! Not if she wanted to keep her job. Specially in this recession, please!
Liver Damage! What's the big deal? Isn't the liver one of those disposable organs?
6.30.2009
What's the point of a blog anyway?
That was the question I had a few years back.
I was baffled that people would want to read perfect stranger's take on things. After all, most bloggers are not celebrities, some might be experts in their fields, but not all.
Then my brother got a blog and introduced me to a whole new world. In his blog he chronicles his life: the good, the bad and everything in between.
It seemed like such an easy way to keep the family informed. Although we are separated by thousands of miles, it seems like I have a window to his life.
What intrigued me the most is that people from all over the world browsed his blog and left comment. Like a form of social voyeurism. Fascinating.
Following his footsteps I set up my own blog. I believe it has brought us closer together.
Then I started a Beauty Blog: totally different animal than the "My Life" blogs. This one is pretty and full of pictures of things I've tried and loved (or tried and hated)
I pour research into it and try to offer good tips. It's a form of scapism.
A form of therapy, if you will.
While one blog is intimate and personal, the other is always colorful and shiny.
Now it is evident to me why blogs are important. They are an outlet, a form of expression. This decade's version of a diary or air mail letter written in cursive.
Only this journal is open for all in the world to see.
I was baffled that people would want to read perfect stranger's take on things. After all, most bloggers are not celebrities, some might be experts in their fields, but not all.
Then my brother got a blog and introduced me to a whole new world. In his blog he chronicles his life: the good, the bad and everything in between.
It seemed like such an easy way to keep the family informed. Although we are separated by thousands of miles, it seems like I have a window to his life.
What intrigued me the most is that people from all over the world browsed his blog and left comment. Like a form of social voyeurism. Fascinating.
Following his footsteps I set up my own blog. I believe it has brought us closer together.
Then I started a Beauty Blog: totally different animal than the "My Life" blogs. This one is pretty and full of pictures of things I've tried and loved (or tried and hated)
I pour research into it and try to offer good tips. It's a form of scapism.
A form of therapy, if you will.
While one blog is intimate and personal, the other is always colorful and shiny.
Now it is evident to me why blogs are important. They are an outlet, a form of expression. This decade's version of a diary or air mail letter written in cursive.
Only this journal is open for all in the world to see.
6.29.2009
The president of France, Nicolas Sarkozy has recently proposed a ban on the burka in France.
Sarkozy equates the burka with opression of woman and claims t
This morning, NPR aired a show segment which interviewed Muslims living in France and their reaction to the president's announcement.
Some women said that they prefered to wear the garment because it protected them from innapropriate comments from the opposite side. Men said that they prefered their wives to wear them because the face and beauty of a woman should be reserved only for their husband's eyes.
Although I do not oposse women wearing garments that cover their arms and legs and wear a traditional hair scarf, I do think that the Burka takes things to unnecessary extreme.
I mean, I don't think women should be forced to flaunt their bodies in a manner that is considered immoral. But I do think that the psycological repercussions of social isolation can have a negative effect of women living in Western countries.
Sarkozy has been widely critized for his stand on the matter: he wants to imposse dress restrictions in the country he leads. Yet countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have decreed the Abaya as their national dress for all women. And this isn't a suggestion, it's a strict law enforced by the religious police (whether or not you are Muslim)
So why is the French President being critized for his stance?
Sarkozy equates the burka with opression of woman and claims t
This morning, NPR aired a show segment which interviewed Muslims living in France and their reaction to the president's announcement.
Some women said that they prefered to wear the garment because it protected them from innapropriate comments from the opposite side. Men said that they prefered their wives to wear them because the face and beauty of a woman should be reserved only for their husband's eyes.
Although I do not oposse women wearing garments that cover their arms and legs and wear a traditional hair scarf, I do think that the Burka takes things to unnecessary extreme.
I mean, I don't think women should be forced to flaunt their bodies in a manner that is considered immoral. But I do think that the psycological repercussions of social isolation can have a negative effect of women living in Western countries.
Sarkozy has been widely critized for his stand on the matter: he wants to imposse dress restrictions in the country he leads. Yet countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have decreed the Abaya as their national dress for all women. And this isn't a suggestion, it's a strict law enforced by the religious police (whether or not you are Muslim)
So why is the French President being critized for his stance?
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