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Ignore All Organic Labels, Except This One

Posted by Melodie Munro on October 26, 2011 at 4:59pm

Ignore All Organic Labels, Except This OnePosted By Dr. Mercola October 20 2011Are the words written on food packaging honest?Many corporations hire lawyers to carefully craft words that are just barely on the side of being legal. The Yahoo health site has collected eight common package proclamations that are red flags of "crafty" advertising.These include:Flavored: Both artificial and natural flavors are actually made in laboratories, and natural flavors are not necessarily healthier than artificial ones.Pure: "100 percent pure" products such as orange juice can be doctored with flavor packs for aroma and taste.Nectar: While 'nectar' may sound particularly wholesome, it's really just a fancy name for "not completely juice." These "diluted juice beverages" may contain more high fructose corn syrup and other sweeteners than fruit puree.Fat free: Some cooking sprays are "fat free" only if they are sprayed for a fraction of a second to produce a microscopic "serving".The Importance of Deciphering Food LabelsIt's unfortunate, but reading food labels isn't as easy as you might think. In addition to determining what ingredients are in the food, you also need to have the foundational knowledge of how to decipher certain verbiage used to describe them. The words listed above are just a few of the words that can be used to mislead you.Below, I'll review a few more label items that are often used in deceptive ways, or that may lead you to buy a product you'd otherwise avoid:1. Vitamin and mineral claims2. The "All Natural" label3. The "Organic" label4. Misleading nutritional facts5. Dangerous ingredients not required to be listed on any food labelBeware of Vitamin and Mineral ClaimsIn an effort to optimize your diet, you may reach for so-called fortified foods; products that proclaim to be more healthful due to their vitamin or mineral content.Unfortunately, foods fortified with "extra" nutrients are nearly always processed, and the nutrients added are typically synthetic; neither of which will promote your health.Likewise, most commercial vitamin supplements are synthetic vitamins that have been robbed of all of the co-factors and accessory micronutrients that they naturally associated with. In turn, just like refined foods, they can create numerous problems and imbalances in your body if taken for long periods of time. They can also act more like drugs in your body. At the very least, they won't be as beneficial as high quality food and whole food-based supplements are.When it comes to foods fortified with minerals, matters can get even worse. Be particularly wary of foods fortified with iron, such as many breakfast cereals, as some of these have been shown to contain actual iron filings, which is not the ideal way to supplement your body with iron.What Does the "All Natural" Label Really Mean?When it comes to processed food bearing this label, it means virtually nothing... This is because there's no standard definition for the term "all natural" when used on processed foods, which leaves it wide open for creative interpretation. The term is only regulated on meat and poultry, for which an item labeled "natural" may not contain any:• Artificial flavors• Colors• Chemical preservativesBut in the processed food arena, a "natural" product can be virtually anything; it can be genetically modified, full of pesticides, made with corn syrup, additives, preservatives and artificial ingredients...If You Want Organic, There's Only One Label that Can Assure itSimilar problems pester the organic label. There's really only one organic label out there that means anything as far as organic food is concerned, and that's the USDA Certified Organic label.This seal, which is governed by the USDA's National Organic Program (NOP), is your BEST assurance of organic food quality. (As a side note, it's also the international gold standard for personal care products that contain organic agricultural ingredients, because the ingredients in USDA certified beauty products are certified organic for food, adhering to much stricter standards as they are intended specifically for human consumption.)There are three "tiers" within the USDA organic label:• Products labeled "100% Organic" must contain only organically produced materials• Products labeled simply "Organic" must contain at least 95 percent organic ingredients• The label "Made with organic ingredients" can contain anywhere between 70 to 95 percent organic ingredientsFarmers and growers of organic produce bearing the USDA seal have to meet the strictest standards of any organic label. USDA certified organic livestock must have access to the outdoors and cannot be given antibiotics or growth hormones. And in order to qualify as an organic crop, it must be grown and processed using organic farming methods that recycle resources and promote biodiversity.For example, crops must be grown without:• Synthetic pesticides• Bioengineered genes• Petroleum-based fertilizers• Sewage sludge-based fertilizersOrganic products also cannot be irradiated, are not allowed to contain preservatives or flavor enhancing chemicals, nor can they contain traces of heavy metals or other contaminants in excess of tolerances set by the FDA. The pesticide residue level cannot be higher than 5 percent of the maximum EPA pesticide tolerance. (For the complete National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances under the USDA organic label, see this link.) So remember, if you see anything that says it's "organic," it must specify "USDA Certified Organic" to be meaningful.What You Need to Know about Nutrition LabelsOther factors that can make labels less than helpful include the nutrition facts and the stated serving size.It's important to understand that while the FDA does check food labels, they only check to see whether or not the Nutrition Facts panel is present. They rarely ever verify that the nutrition facts are true and accurate. Furthermore, the government allows foods to contain 20 percent more diet-damaging ingredients than the label lists before taking enforcement action. So while certainly a useful and important start, reading the Nutrition Facts panels on foods may not be as reliable an indicator of a food's nutrients as you may think.The FDA also allows processed food manufacturers to use absurdly tiny serving sizes on their labels, which can lull you into a false sense of security when it comes to determining how much of each stated nutrient or toxin, like trans-fat, you're actually consuming. If the serving size is small enough then trans-fats can fall under the minimum requirement for labeling them, meaning they are left off the label entirely despite the fact they are present in the product. Needless to say, this tactic is intentionally employed, to make the product appear more healthful than it actually isIt is deceptive labeling tricks like these that can leave you eating things you would rather avoid.Another example well worth mentioning here is the lack of any requirement to label genetically modified components in packaged foods, even though this is mandated law in the entire European Union. In the US, you simply will never know if GM foods are present in your processed food, but more than likely they are—especially if the product contains soy or corn, or any derivative thereof...Fortunately, we now have a practical plan to end this disaster. By educating the public about the risks of GM foods through a massive education campaign, and launching a ballot initiative in California for 2012 that will require mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods and food ingredients, the plan is to generate a tipping point of consumer rejection to make GMOs a thing of the past. To learn how you can be part of this important movement, please see The California Ballot Initiative: Taking Down Monsanto.How to Choose High-Quality Foods for Yourself and Your FamilyWhile reading labels on everything you buy is important, when it comes to food, you're far better off limiting or eliminating foods that require a listing of its ingredients in the first place. What are you left with? Fresh (preferably organic) WHOLE foods!Remember, virtually ALL processed foods contain cheap, chemical-laden ingredients that will eventually take their toll on your health. By educating yourself on what 'healthy food' really is, and how not to be led astray by label claims that toe the line in terms of being truthful, you'll be well on your way toward a healthier you.

Happy Thoughts = Good Health

Posted by Melodie Munro on October 26, 2011 at 4:58pm

Happy Thoughts = Good HealthWednesday, October 19, 2011By Chris WadsworthLooking back on her long life, 73-year-old Judy Rubens thinks she has always been a pretty sunny person.Losing at a game never fazed her, she consciously tried to be friendly to everyone, and she always had a bright smile on her face — both to keep her spirits up and to cheer up those around her.But that smile was tested mightily in 2008 when she underwent back surgery that left her paralyzed from her waist to her ankles. Months of grueling physical therapy left her exhausted and in pain — but where others might find good reason to give in to self-pity — Rubens reveled in the discomfort."When the pain was greatest, I knew that I was healing," the Fort Myers, Fla., resident tells Newsmax. "I would get the shooting pains down my legs and I didn’t mind it. I knew that meant that the nerves were coming back. Without that pain, I wasn’t healing."In study after study, this remarkable ability to take a negative and see it as a positive has been a hallmark of an optimistic personality. And now scientists are discovering that being optimistic can actually make you mentally and physically healthier.Check out these eye-opening benefits:• Dutch researchers studied almost 1,000 senior citizens and found that the most optimistic among them had a 55 percent lower chance of dying from all causes and a 23 percent lower risk of cardiovascular death.• A study at the University of Kentucky among 124 incoming law students found that when the students were more optimistic, their immune system got stronger.• Other research has shown high levels of optimism linked with better recovery from heart transplants and heart bypass surgery, protection from stroke risk, and even delayed onset of frailty among the elderly.• A University of Pennsylvania study found that incoming freshmen who participated in a series of workshops aimed at helping them cultivate a positive outlook lowered their risk of suffering moderate or severe depression."There is good evidence to suggest optimism is protective and that pessimism seems to be detrimental when it comes to the development of disease and future outcomes," said Laura Kubzansky, an associate professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, in a 2010 Washington Post article. "But what’s a little less clear is what the mechanisms are, or how that protective effect occurs."Bottom line: Pessimists and optimists see the world differently, according to Martin Seligman, a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and an expert on optimistic thinking.Seligman says pessimists tend to believe they’re to blame when bad things happen and that these bad things will persist and ruin other events in their lives — an "I pigged out at a party last night because I have no willpower, and I will never lose weight" syndrome.Optimists, on the other hand, see setbacks as temporary: "I overate last night, but I was celebrating with good friends, and I can still lose weight this week if I just buckle down."Regardless of which camp a person falls into, Seligman and others assert that people can actually learn optimism. When a person constantly strives to catch themselves being negative — then stops momentarily — and changes the negative thought into a positive one, eventually this learned behavior will take over and they will find themselves being optimistic more often and more naturally.Tina Haisman is certified life coach in Chicago and works with clients on recognizing negative thoughts and attitudes and helps them begin to change this behavior."The key to happiness for all of us is in our own minds," Haisman tells Newsmax. "You have the power to make your life what you want it to be. It’s all in how you choose to look at things."Optimism is, of course, not a cure-all. There are times when it’s inappropriate and even impossible to find the bright side of something. That’s OK.Optimists have dark moments fraught with concern and worry too. But these thoughts don’t apply to everything that happens, and they don’t last. Cliché as it is, the "sun will come out tomorrow" and optimists recognize this.One of the thoughts that motivated Rubens during her recovery was the desire to travel with her husband, Len. Eleven months after her devastating surgery and paralysis, Rubens was walking well enough to take a long-awaited trip."We took a cruise into the Caribbean and it was wonderful,” Rubens said, her voice filling with emotion. "I danced with my husband. I just looked up at him and the tears rolled. I said, 'Look, just look!' and he said, ‘We are so blessed.'"

Psychological Materialism

Posted by Melodie Munro on October 26, 2011 at 4:47pm

Psychological Materialism
by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche

Even if you are against the materialism of society and you do not want to support it, refusing to work is still grasping at the wrong end of the stick. Not taking part in work and practical activity is not going to achieve anything. More than any anything else, it will simply magnify your own negativity. By not doing anything to help, you will merely feel the sense of being useless in society. If you really take this kind of nonparticipation to its logical conclusion, it means that you shouldn't eat, you shouldn't even breathe, because the air you breath also belongs to the world and society. This approach could become quite extreme. If you take it all the way, it means you shouldn't exist at all.

There's a great deal of confusion about materialism and society. Just taking care of one's business or even running a business doesn't amount to materialism. There's nothing wrong with that at all. What really produces the materialistic outlook towards society is psychological materialism. Materialism has a pervasive kind of philosophy connected with it that is passed from one person to another orally and taught to everyone through examples. One person catches it from another. However, trying to reject that contagion by purely not doing anything, not caring for anything at all, simply doesn't work.
Not doing anything takes the form of laziness, and in order to be lazy we have to develop a certain kind of intelligence. Laziness has tremendous intelligence in it, in fact. When you are lazy, as soon as you have the urge to do anything, immediately a kind of answer comes to you that you can present about why you don't have to do it. Later you can say: "I didn't do it because I didn't have time. Thus and such happened and I didn't have a chance to do it. It was because of that." This automatic answer that comes to you is very convenient. One has to be very intelligent to find these kinds of excuses. There is tremendous intelligence in laziness, but it is misused intelligence.

The best way to use our intelligence is to learn to feel what the skillful action in a situation is. To do that, we have to relate to the earth as directly as possible. Interestingly, we call this being "grounded." In this approach, we do not regard work as just a job but as a way of expressing our ourselves. It could be work in the garden or work around the house—cooking food, washing the dishes—whatever. These are not really jobs, but they are what has to be done because nature demands attention. It is very interesting that if you leave something undone or do not relate to even a small matter like, for instance, cooking with full and proper attention and clear thinking, then some kind of chaos is going to come up. This will happen because you are not relating properly; you are not expressing your love properly toward the earth. Either you are going to break a dish or you're going to spill something, or the food you're cooking is going to turn out badly, or something else will go wrong. Nature tends to react very sensitively this way. If you don't feel the relationship between the work and yourself, then chaos is going to arise.

A balanced state of mind depends on the way you do things, the way you pour a cup of tea and the way you put sugar and milk in it. It may seem like a really insignificant thing, but it means everything. You can always tell whether a person feels the activity she is engaged in as dealing with the earth or whether she feels it as just some casual thing or something she is doing because she has to. If the person is not relating to the earth, then you can always feel a certain clumsiness, even if the person's action appears to be smooth. This is very evident and easy to sense.

--Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche

Is Facebook Changing Your Brain?

Posted by Melodie Munro on October 26, 2011 at 4:46pm

Is Facebook Changing Your Brain?
Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Scientists have found a direct link between the number of "friends" a person has on Facebook and the size of certain brain regions, raising the possibility that using online social networks might change our brains.

The four brain areas involved are known to play a role in memory, emotional responses, and social interactions.

So far, however, it is not possible to say whether having more Facebook connections makes particular parts of the brain larger or whether some people are simply pre-disposed, or "hard-wired," to have more friends.

"The exciting question now is whether these structures change over time — this will help us answer the question of whether the Internet is changing our brains," said Ryota Kanai of University College London (UCL), one of the researchers involved in the study.

Kanai and colleagues used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study the brains of 125 university students, all of them active users of social media site Facebook, and cross-checked their findings in a further group of 40 students.

They discovered a strong connection between the number of Facebook friends and the amount of "grey matter" in the amygdala, the right superior temporal sulcus, the left middle temporal gyrus, and the right entorhinal cortex. Grey matter is the layer of brain tissue where mental processing occurs.

The thickness of grey matter in the amygdala was also linked to the number of real-world friends people had, but the size of the other three regions appeared to be correlated only to online connections.

The students, on average, had around 300 Facebook friends, with the most connected having up to 1,000.

With more than 800 million active users worldwide, Facebook has become a major component of social interaction, especially among the young.

"Online social networks are massively influential, yet we understand very little about the impact they have on our brains. This has led to a lot of unsupported speculation the Internet is somehow bad for us," said Geraint Rees of UCL.

"This shows we can use some of the powerful tools in modern neuroscience to address important questions — namely, what are the effects of social networks, and online social networks in particular, on my brain."

The study results were published on Wednesday in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Heidi Johansen-Berg of the University of Oxford, who was not involved in the research, said the findings were intriguing but did not mean Facebook was a shortcut to making people brainier.

"If you got yourself 100 new Facebook friends today then your brain would not be bigger tomorrow," she said. "The study cannot tell us whether using the Internet is good or bad for our brains."

Dogs help schools lick bullying problem

Posted by Melodie Munro on October 26, 2011 at 4:45pm

Dogs help schools lick bullying problem
Article By: Cynthia Ross Cravit

We hear about it all too often: The damaging -- and sometimes tragic -- consequences of bullying. Read how some experts are using canines to teach compassion.

Dogs can make us happier and healthier. Beyond the joy of companionship, studies have shown that dog ownership is associated with lower stress, blood pressure and cholesterol. Owning a pouch also helps to prevent illness — and when you do become ill, helps you to recover more quickly.

On top of all that, dogs can sniff out cancer and warn of heart attack, epileptic seizures and hypoglycemia.

So when it comes to the battling the bullying epidemic in our schools, who else to call in but our best friend? Dogs are already being used in the classroom to give assistance to children with autism, for instance, and to help with reading and writing programs. And now, in some North American schools, canines are being called in to teach compassion and social responsibility.

An example. In a program called “No More Bullies” volunteers accompanied by trained dogs teach kids about fairness and empathy. “The animals are the glue that helps the children stay focused and understand the message,” Jo Dean Hearn, an ex-teacher who developed the program, told USA TODAY. “Children can easily identify with an animal. And it’s easy for them to transition when we ask them to consider how an animal feels (if ill-treated) to how the kid sitting near them feels (if poorly treated).”

Pouches and peer pressure“No More Bullies” is just one of several dog-centered programs being used to help create a kinder and more supportive school climate — which, experts say, goes a long way in preventing, and stopping, bullying. Last year, for example, the Yale University School of the 21st Century and the Pet Savers Foundation launched a program called Mutt-i-grees to help kids learn how to be more kind to one another and animals.

Another program, Healing Species, uses rescue dogs to help children and teens recover from abuse and learn self-esteem, empathy, and other fundamental values. Currently, programs that use dogs to teach kindness and integrity are being used in about 900 elementary schools in the U.S.

Watch this clip on how canines can help to reduce stress in the classroom:

Why dogs reduce stress in classrooms

http://youtu.be/EAO8i7s1uWU

Every hug carries a powerful “punch”.

Posted by Melodie Munro on October 26, 2011 at 4:41pm

Over 100 Cities around took part in the Hugs for Peace campaign our friend Vince coordinated that took place on September 21.

Such a little thing -- a hug -- everyone can do it -- it takes no special training -- no “skill” -- no age, race, religion, or sex can do it any better then another…

It is freely available to everyone -- pretty much anytime (technically we can hug our teddy bears, our dogs, even ourselves if another person isn’t immediately available)

and every hug carries a powerful “punch”. A study by University of North Carolina researchers found that hugs increase the “bonding” hormone oxytocin and decrease the risk of heart disease.

This should be every day in the world.

FREE HUGS for WORLD PEACE - Salt of the Earth - International Day of Peace - Sept. 21
http://youtu.be/dt1r8gizEGg

Money Doesn’t Equal Happiness

Posted by Melodie Munro on October 26, 2011 at 4:40pm

Today's Daily Health TipMoney Doesn’t Equal Happinessby Baseline of Health StaffIn today’s hazardous economic times, many people are probably thinking, “If I just had some more money, all my problems would disappear.”Unfortunately, the reality of the situation is that a financial surplus does not lead to happiness. The recent World Mental Health Survey conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) looked at nearly 90,000 people in 18 countries to determine their mental health status, and the results may surprise you.Among the participants living in the 10 higher income nations, an average of close to 15 percent of the population had experienced a major depressive episode at some point. In those participants from low to middle income countries, however, an average of approximately 11 percent had suffered through depression.The country with the highest overall rate of depression was France, with a 21 percent frequency. The United States was second, experiencing a lifetime rate of 19.2 percent. The high-income nations with the lowest rates of depression were Japan, Germany, Italy, and Israel, where the levels fell between 7 and 10 percent.The age of onset of depression varied by country as well. China had the lowest age of all of the countries tested, with a median of 18.8. United States residents seem to be stricken with depression at a younger age too, with a median of 22.7. The countries with the latest average onset were Japan at 30.1 and Spain at 30. According to data from WHO, approximately 121 million people around the world suffer from depression. Women everywhere are twice as likely to experience episodes of depression as men. But the researchers found in general that those with depression in wealthier nations suffered from more debilitating disability resulting from the disease.And depression really can impair you, both mentally and physically. Your body is a product of your thoughts. The cells of your body have receptor sites for the various neurohormones you produce. Your immune cells, to use just one example, have receptor sites for each of those hormones. When you are happy, you produce a set of neurohormones that are picked up by the cells of your immune system. These particular neurohormones tell your immune system to jack up -- which it does. In other words, happy thoughts improve your health. However, when you are depressed, the opposite happens. The neurohormones your body produces literally shut down your immune system. In effect, negative thoughts can actually kill you. A group of medical researchers in Montreal tracked 222 post heart attack victims, both men and women. The researchers found that those who were depressed were more likely to die of another heart attack within 18 months of their first heart attack than those who were not -- 10 times more likely, in fact.Depression does not just affect our ability to enjoy each day. Among other things, scientists today are finding strong statistical evidence linking stress and depression with longevity. And, with "suicidal behavior" being a side effect of anti-depressants, it is no wonder people are scrambling to find a natural solution. The good news is that not only can nutrition impact mood, but exercise and certain herbs and nutraceuticals such as Ginkgo, Valerian root, SAMe, and Mulungu can also give a safe, healthy mental lift!

Hello again

Posted by Glenda Hughes on October 25, 2011 at 9:50am

Hi there.I think I joined Crystals & Gemstones, however, I'm not showing up as a member.I clicked the "join" link but nothing happened.I wanted to add info on this group.Are disucussions, topics and blogs the same thing? I cant see in that group how to post, just" reply" option.

˜ƸӜƷ˜”°•.¸ღ¸MESSAGE FROM THE ANDROMEDA GALAXY ~ THE SIGN OF HUMANITY IS LOVE☆´˜ƸӜƷ˜”°•.¸ღ¸☆

Posted by dcentralsunkid on October 23, 2011 at 2:32am

˜ƸӜƷ˜”°•.¸ღ¸MESSAGE FROM THE ANDROMEDA GALAXY ~
THE SIGN OF HUMANITY IS LOVE☆´˜ƸӜƷ˜”°•.¸ღ¸☆

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October 23, 2011.

- Dearest Ones, We Are from the Domain of Fire and Light, of Unity of all souls and Sacred Divine Core Essence in the Andromeda Galaxy.
--- Beloved Earth Humans,
We are here again to shower your world with our Blessings with powerful waves of Light from our Galaxy.
Many of us took birth on your planet to anchor Light and Information from the Andromeda Galaxy on Earth to assist with the awakening of her humanity and the cleansing and shifting of her into higher dimensions.
We are giving you this information, dear earth humans, to assure you that you and your planet have never been – in reality – cut off from the rest of the universe. It was only a gesture of you in the past history, which laid around and upon Earth, through your own lowering of your frequency, a dense and heavy veil which did not allow much communications of higher light and information to reach you and your planet from outer space.
This self-induced isolation is now coming to an end, also because many other souls from other enlightened star systems and galaxies are at this time incarnated among you, to draw down the light and love of the stars into your reality to help you to evolve.
These beings from other star systems have taken birth in difficult situations in order to purify your dark earth history with their own awakening process, which required them to confront all the pain -- that you earth people are suffering -- in their own bodies, emotions and mental experiences.

For many, if not for most of them, this ordeal of purification of your dark history in their own system, this process has now come to an end and they are here now between you, anchoring our light and information and that of many other star systems on your earth.
They are now illuminated antennas receiving and channeling light from space through their consciousness and bodies into the core of Gaia and radiating this light and this love all over the earth. They are the ones who have done all the work directly on your planet, to support your own awakening, like one candle ignites the next one, so that also you can become like them a radiant luminary to illuminate further the path to ascension in your world.
What is required of you, Beloved Earth Humans, in your awakening process in this short remaining moment, is to open up to unconditional love, a Divine Frequency now showered upon your earth! It is the Force which drives humanity forward to her unity and elevation. It is the Force which does not know separation, and it is the Force which has been always your rightful inheritance and True Sign since eternity.
"Humanity Is Love", - this will be your sign and “trade mark” in your coming Galactic Participation, where earth will be embraced again in the midst of other star nations and illuminated planets and galaxies.
You are on your way to fully participate again in the unimpeded communication and union of the galactic network of light, which flows like liquid water through all the veins of the Divine Universe.
Once ascended you will be participating again in the currents of universal joy and love where we all rejoice In mutual friendship, love and respect.
There is only One Divinity and we are all Its Divine Expression.
Welcome, dearest earth humans, to this glorious moment in the very near future, but which is in truth already always Now.
Our Light and Our Love is in the midst of you all.
With eternal Blessings!
Message received by Ute
http://radiantlyhappy.blogspot .com/2011/10/message-from-andromeda-g...
_________________________________________________________
Copyright: Ute Posegga-Rudel, Oct 2011http://radiantlyhappy.blogspot.com/
This message has been received in a sacred space and should be treated accordingly and with respect. When sharing this message please only together with this information. If you have questions, please contact me. Thank you.

4 Delicious Red Mullet recipes

Posted by Melodie Munro on October 18, 2011 at 11:51am

Baked Red Mullet with Garlic and TomatoesThis is a fish that appears often in Mediterranean cookery.ingredients4 even-sized red mullet45 ml (3 tbsps) olive oil45 ml (3 tbsps) dry white wine1 lemon2 cloves garlic, crushedSalt and pepper340 g (12 oz) fresh tomatoes, thinly sliced or 400 g (14 oz) canned tomatoes, strainedSprigs of fresh dill for garnishmethod1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) Gas Mark 5. First scale the fish by running the blunt edge of a large knife over the skin of the fish going from the tail to the head.2. Using a filleting knife, cut along the belly of the fish from just under the head to the vent, the small opening near the tail. Clean out the cavity of the fish, leaving in the liver if desired. Rinse the fish well inside and out and pat dry.3. Trim the fins and neaten the tail with kitchen scissors. Place the fish head to tail in an ovenproof dish. Mix the oil and the wine together and squeeze the juice from one of the lemons. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and pour over the fish. Place on the tomato slices or if using canned tomatoes, crush them slightly and spoon over. Bake for about 25 minutes, basting frequently until the fish is tender. Garnish with dill.serves 4Citrus Steamed Red Mullet with FennelSteaming really emphasises the beautiful vibrant colour of red mullet or snapper.ingredients4 small red mullet or red snapper, cleaned1 tbsp soy sauce1 inch (2.5 cm) piece fresh root ginger, peeled and shredded4 spring onions, trimmed and shredded1 lime, thinly sliced1/2 lemon, thinly sliced2 sprigs fresh fennel or dill1/2 green chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced (optional)method1. Make 3 slashes in each side of the fish and rub with the soy sauce.2. Put a little ginger and spring onion in each cavity and place on a plate.3. Cover the fish with the lime and lemon slices, fennel and chilli.4. Scatter over the remaining ginger and spring onion. Cover and steam for 7 minutes.serves 4Grilled Red Mullet with Fresh Lime and ChivesIngredients8 X 5 - 8 oz (150-250g) red mullet, scaled but not guttedfresh chives, chopped1 lime, quarteredfor the marinadeJuice of 2 fresh limes6 tablespoons olive oil4 tablespoons chives, choppedFreshly ground black peppermethod1. Wash the mullet and pat dry with kitchen paper.2. In a shallow glass or earthenware bowl combine the marinade ingredients and leave the fish in this for 15 minutes, turning them occasionally.3. Meanwhile, heat the grill to high and lightly oil the grill rack.4. When you place the fish on the grill rack, make sure they are well coated in the marinade and chives as the latter are appealing to the eye as well as the taste buds.5. Grill the mullet 2 or 3 minutes, turning and basting them and heaping on more chives as they cook, continue to grill for a further 2 or 3 minutes.6. The skin of the fish will be crisp and the tails slightly charred.7. serve them hot on warmed plates with quarters of fresh limeserves 4Red Mullet NicoiseIngredientsRed mullet is now widely available and its attractive appearance lends itself to this colourful dish.2 tbsps red wine vinegar8 tbsps olive oil1/4 tsp French mustardHandful of chopped fresh mixed herbs1 shallot, finely chopped1 clove garlic, crushedSalt and pepper120 g (4 oz) button mushrooms, quartered4 red mullet, descaled and cleanedSeasoned flourLemon juice450 g (1 lb) tomatoes, quartered and cores removed1 green pepper, seeded and sliced90 g (3 oz) pitted black olives, halved2 hard-boiled eggs, quarteredSmall tin anchovy filletsmethod1. In a screw top jar, shake together the vinegar, 6 tablespoons of the olive oil, the mustard, herbs, shallot, garlic and seasoning, to make a vinaigrette.2. Put the mushrooms into a bowl and pour over the vinaigrette. Stir to coat the mushrooms evenly and refrigerate for about 1 hour.3. Toss the mullet in the seasoned flour to coat lightly Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and fry the fish on both sides for 2 - 3 minutes per side, taking care not to break the fish. Sprinkle lightly with lemon juice and salt and pepper, and allow to go cold.4. When ready to serve, add the tomatoes, pepper, olives and eggs to the mushrooms. Stir together gently, to coat the salad with the marinade.5. Pile the salad onto a serving dish and arrange the red mullet on top. Garnish with the drained anchovy fillets.serves 4Mullet in Tomato SauceIngredients4 red mullet, whole and cleaned2 level tbsp seasoned flouroil or butter for frying2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh white breadcrumbs1 tbsp (15 ml) chopped parsleyfor the sauce1/2 onion, skinned and finely chopped1 clove garlic, skinned and crushed, optional2 tbsp (1 oz) 25 g butter1 lb (450 g) tomatoes, skinned and quarteredsalt and pepper2 level tsp sugar1 bay leafmethod1. First make the sauce. Fry the onion and the garlic (if you are using it) in the butter for about 5 minutes, until soft but not coloured. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, sugar and bayleaf, cover with a lid and simmer gently until soft and pulped - about - 1/2 hour; remove the bayleaf,2. Rinse the fish and dry them well. Dip them in seasoned flour and fry them in shallow fat until tender, turning them once and allowing 6-8 minutes in all.3. Place half the tomato sauce in a shallow ovenproof dish, lay the fish on top, then cover with the rest of the sauce; sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and brown under a hot grill.4. Sprinkle with parsley and serve at once.

Time is Precious: Dr. BJ Miller's Journey

Posted by Melodie Munro on October 18, 2011 at 11:41am

Time is Precious: Dr. BJ Miller's Journey--by Patricia Yollin , Original StoryDr. BJ Miller is only 40 but he thinks about death a lot. He is the new executive director of the Zen Hospice Project in San Francisco and a palliative care specialist at UCSF Medical Center. He is also a triple amputee, co-founder of a tea company, owner of a farm in Utah and a newlywed who still looks like the Ivy Leaguer he once was."I have no fear of death," Miller said. "I have a fear of not living my life fully before I die."On Nov. 27, 1990, he came close to dying. Miller, then a sophomore at Princeton University, got together for drinks with two close friends he'd made on the crew team. Around 3 a.m., they were walking to a convenience store when they decided to climb an electrified shuttle train parked on campus."I jumped on top," he recalled. "I had a metal watch on and I was very close to the power source. The electricity just arced to the watch. Sadly, the train was called the Dinky - of all things to lose a limb to."As a result of Miller's encounter with 11,000 volts of electricity, his left arm was amputated below the elbow and his legs below the knees. He still has flashbacks to the explosion and remembers the difficulties of fitting his nearly 6-foot-5 frame into a helicopter bound for a burn unit.Princeton and beyondAfter several months, he returned to Princeton and graduated with his class in 1993. Two years later, the university and shuttle operator, New Jersey Transit, agreed to pay him a multimillion-dollar settlement, which included safety upgrades to the train station where previous incidents had occurred.Over time, Miller has undergone many operations and often experiences nagging discomfort, as well as significant pain on occasion."BJ's doctor said, 'When people have these life-altering injuries, it doesn't change their nature,' " said Miller's mother, Susan Miller. "BJ was a sweet, affectionate, loving child. It didn't change who he was at all."It might not have changed Miller's nature, but it refashioned him in ways that inform what he does today. "I learned so much," he said. "Particularly about perspective. It's not what you see but how you see it."His father, Bruce Miller, said, "BJ has always had incredible insight into people."It's an indispensable quality in the doctor's current line of work."BJ is an extraordinary physician," said Dr. Mike Rabow, director of the Symptom Management Service at UCSF. "Perhaps the best I've ever seen at understanding the pain and suffering of others, bearing witness to it and helping people face it and begin to heal. The most remarkable part is that BJ is filled with joy and humor."Miller said he largely avoided self-loathing and self-pity after the accident because of his mother's example. She was diagnosed with polio as a baby and relied on a brace and crutches when her son was growing up. Two decades ago, she developed post-polio syndrome and now uses a wheelchair most of the time.'It was wonderful'"BJ realized that disability doesn't determine who you are," said Susan Miller, who still recalls what he said after learning he'd lose three body parts. "He told me, 'Mom, now we'll have even more in common.' It was wonderful."Justin Burke of Seattle, who later co-founded Tribute Tea Co. with Miller, visited his old boarding-school roommate in the hospital a few weeks after the accident. "His left arm was the size of a watermelon," Burke said. "But he wanted a mountain bike for Christmas."This wasn't a fanciful notion. After he recovered, Miller hiked, bicycled and competed on the U.S. volleyball team in the 1992 Summer Paralympics in Barcelona."BJ's journey has taught me to appreciate things many people take for granted - and I never will because of him," said Pete Austin, a senior producer for "Nightline" at ABC News in New York, who was with Miller when the accident happened and helped bring his body - smoking and bleeding - down from the train.Bruce Miller Jr., who goes simply by BJ without punctuation, was born in Chicago and grew up mostly in its suburbs. He described himself as a melancholy and overly sensitive "mama's boy," who was insecure but made friends quickly. His father was a successful businessman, the family was affluent, and Miller was handsome, even working as a model for a while. But he said he felt like a misfit."Now I'm grateful for being a little bit of an outsider," he said. "It made me question the reality I was living in. Life was just a little too easy. I could feel myself devolving before I'd even evolved, so I elected to go away to boarding school and become more independent."At St. George's School in Rhode Island, Miller turned into a recluse and a bookworm. But by the time he graduated in June 1989, he'd joined choir, made a few friends and earned top grades."I had come to realize how much of my angst was self-propelling," he said. "And I learned how to drop some of those ruminations."Inspired by the Tiananmen Square protests in Beijing a few months earlier, he planned to major in Chinese and Asian studies at Princeton. "It dovetailed nicely with being a suburban boy, boarding school, all this zone of privilege and homogeneity," Miller said. "I was very attracted to something foreign, and Tiananmen awakened in me a human rights consciousness."He switched to art history after his accident, focusing on how music served as inspiration in visual art of the early 20th century. "It's all about the human condition and what people do with their humanity," he said. "Artists are dealing with that subject all the time."Art played a major role in his recovery. For example, Miller used to put a sock over his left arm because he thought it was grotesque, and he wore foam covers over his prosthetic legs. He stopped his attempts at concealment after studying the style of building known as the Chicago School of architecture."They let the structure do its own thing," said Miller, showing off his carbon fiber prosthetics. "I found that to be an extraordinarily therapeutic concept."'The silver lining'He made another discovery as well: "I'd always been aware that the way people treated me had nothing to do with my internal life," he said. "The world saw me as over-privileged. This changed all that. I didn't have to explain, 'Oh, I suffer, too.' It was very handy. And I was inclined to look for the silver lining."After graduating from Princeton, Miller worked in the archives of the Art Institute of Chicago and spent several months in Paris as an intern with the State Department. His service dog, Vermont, accompanied him."We were together for 11 years, 24 hours a day," he said. "When I couldn't find the words for what I was feeling, I'd go play with him and everything was fine. It remains the single most profound relationship of my life."When it was time to find a calling, Miller chose medicine because he could use his experiences to connect with people and he felt an affinity for anyone going through an illness. He took pre-med courses in Denver and at Mills College in Oakland before starting medical school at UCSF in 1997, with the notion of entering rehabilitation medicine. He changed his mind after doing a rotation in that field."I felt like a poster child," he said. "When I'd walk out of the room, I'd hear some family member say, 'See, he can do it.' And I knew what those guys needed was to wallow and get angry. They didn't need some jackass with really white teeth saying, 'Hey, you can climb a mountain.' They just wanted to learn how to take a leak again."Sister commits suicideHe finished medical school in 2001. It was a difficult time. He was devastated by the suicide the previous year of his lone sibling in her New York apartment, just shy of her 33rd birthday. The news about his sister's death came in a call he got on the way to a follow-up appointment after yet another surgery. He started questioning his decision to be a doctor, but an internship at the Medical College of Wisconsin changed everything: He learned about palliative care, which uses a team-oriented, holistic approach to treat the symptoms of illness and relieve pain and suffering."It was very immediately clear that this was the place for me," Miller said. "Being a full human being has a lot to do with suffering."He worked two years at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara and was a hospice and palliative medicine fellow at Harvard Medical School for a year before joining UCSF in 2007. Dr. Stephen McPhee, who retired in January as a professor of medicine at UCSF, helped recruit Miller."He has great presence and a light touch," McPhee said. "It might seem inappropriate for end-of-life care but it is exactly right. He's a wonderful teacher, too. He has the ability to move an audience."McPhee said Miller and the 24-year-old Zen Hospice Project are a good match."Compassion and open-heartedness are BJ's defining characteristics," McPhee said. "Being disabled does not define him. But from a patient's point of view, seeing him walk into the room, they get it that he gets it. He has obviously been through a lot."Karen Schanche, a UCSF clinical social worker and psychotherapist, said Miller is especially effective with older men not prone to sharing their feelings."One veteran, a Marine with metastasized pancreatic cancer, was really not into talking or being vulnerable," Schanche said. "He looked at BJ and started tearing up. ... There is a small opening to reach into with people, and BJ is not afraid of that kind of intimacy."But Miller knows it can be dangerous. "These quick spelunking exercises are an occupational hazard," he said. "If you don't have time to process them and crawl fully out of the hole and shake off the dust before you go back down again, you are operating from a deficit."70-80 hours a weekThese days he is working 70 to 80 hours a week, given his full-time job at the Zen Hospice Project, his outpatient clinic work at UCSF, and late-night home visits to people who are dying. He's hoping things will settle down soon."He can't say no. And he sees himself as an usher who can take people through a transition in their lives," said the former Jori Adler, 33, who married Miller in Inverness on Sept. 11 - his parents' anniversary. At the end of October, the couple threw a bash for 180 in Palm Springs. In January, they honeymooned in Chile and Argentina.Jori Miller met her future husband in 2007 at a party in Los Angeles, where she worked as an associate producer in television. Now she's pursuing a master's degree at Sonoma State University and wants to be a marriage and family therapist. They live in Mill Valley with a dog named Maysie and three cats: Zelig, the Muffin Man and Darkness. The doctor never got another service dog after Vermont died.Miller loves to go to art museums and movies, ride his bicycle and drive for hours in his Audi station wagon. Pizza is his favorite food and his tastes in music range from Frank Zappa and The Who to jazz and chamber music. Eight years ago, he bought a 10-acre farm in Boulder, Utah.Like a different planet"It's almost like a plan B," he said. "It's somewhere I can go that doesn't operate by the same rules as in the city. It looks like a different planet and makes me feel nice and small, where I'm thinking on geological time."The Zen Hospice Project's renovated Guest House reopened in September after a six-year closure and formed a partnership with UCSF, which pays for two beds for its patients. UCSF medical students will begin rotations there this summer, joined eventually by UCSF fellows in hospice and palliative medicine."Our vision is to marry the medical and social models of care," said Miller, who has been an attending physician at hundreds of deaths over the years. "Bring in the best of medical science while beefing up the nonmedical components."Those components include a cadre of trained volunteers and programs for bereavement support, self-care for caregivers and legacy work, such as writing letters to grandchildren. The six beds in the Guest House are reserved for people with a prognosis of six months or less to live.Miller is spiritual but not a Buddhist. However, he finds Buddhism "beautifully inarguable," especially because it sees kindness as the antidote to suffering - a principle that guides his work.Time is precious"A big part of my job is to remind people about the preciousness of time," he said. "You don't want to preordain or prognosticate, but you don't want to abdicate your role either. It's this tender little dance between leading and following a patient and their family."Open houseThe Guest House of the Zen Hospice Project: Open house 4-5 p.m. first and third Friday of every month. 273 Page St., San Francisco, CA

The world's most expensive dessert which has been cooked-up with the eye watering price tag of £22,000.

Posted by Melodie Munro on October 18, 2011 at 11:40am

The world's most expensive dessert which has been cooked-up with the eye watering price tag of £22,000. Styled like a Faberge Easter egg the extravagant chocolate pud is believed to have broken all previous records thanks to its pricey list of ingredients which includes gold, champagne caviar and a two carat diamond.

A solution to Mexico City's dense population and strict Government building policy

Posted by Melodie Munro on October 18, 2011 at 11:39am

A solution to Mexico City's dense population and strict Government building policy - an inverted pyramid-shaped building 55 storeys below the surface. Proposals for the 'Earthscraper' were recently unveiled by a Mexican architectural firm, BNKR.

A Secret Scrolls #68 to #73

Posted by Melodie Munro on October 18, 2011 at 11:33am

A Secret Scrolls #68 to #73A Secret Scrolls #68A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda ByrneCreator of The Secret and The PowerFrom The Secret Daily TeachingsMost people can manifest the small things quickly. This is because they do not have any resistance around the small things, and because they don't think thoughts that contradict them. When it comes to the bigger things, however, people often emit thoughts of doubt or worry that contradict those bigger things. This is the only difference in terms of the time it takes for something to manifest.Nothing is big or small for the Universe.May the joy be with you,Rhonda ByrneThe Secret and The Power... bringing joy to billionsA Secret Scrolls #69A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda ByrneCreator of The Secret and The PowerFrom The Secret Daily TeachingsThere are two kinds of people:Those who say, "I will believe it when I see it."And those who say, "To see it, I know I must believe it."May the joy be with you,Rhonda ByrneThe Secret and The Power... bringing joy to billionsA Secret Scrolls #70A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda ByrneCreator of The Secret and The PowerFrom The Secret Daily TeachingsWhen you exist in the great state of gratitude, you become a person who only wants to give. You become so grateful that it takes over your life, and you can't find enough opportunities in a day to give. You give joy, you give love, you give money, you give appreciation, you give compliments, and you give kindness. You give the best of yourself in your job, in your relationships, and to strangers.You will know when you have really found true gratitude, because you will become a giver. One who is truly grateful cannot be anything else.May the joy be with you,Rhonda ByrneThe Secret and The Power... bringing joy to billionsA Secret Scrolls #71A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda ByrneCreator of The Secret and The PowerFrom The Secret Daily TeachingsStress, worry, and anxiety simply come from projecting your thoughts into the future and imagining something bad. This is focusing on what you don't want! If you find that your mind is projecting into the future in a negative way, focus intensely on NOW. Keep bringing yourself back to the present.Use all of your will, and focus your mind in this very moment, because in this moment of now there is utter peace.May the joy be with you,Rhonda ByrneThe Secret... bringing joy to billionsA Secret Scrolls #72A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda ByrneCreator of The Secret and The PowerFrom The Secret Daily TeachingsHere are four fundamental things to do to manifest money using the law of attraction.1. Think more thoughts in a day of abundance than of lack of money.2. Be happy now, without the money.3. Be truly grateful for everything you have now.4. Give the best of yourself to others.Four easy steps. You can do them if you want it enough.May the joy be with you,Rhonda ByrneThe Secret... bringing joy to billionsA Secret Scrolls #73A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda ByrneCreator of The Secret and The PowerFrom The Secret Daily TeachingsWhatever you want to bring into your life, you must GIVE it. Do you want love? Then give it. Do you want appreciation? Then give it. Do you want understanding? Then give it. Do you want joy and happiness? Then give it to others.You have the ability to give so much love, appreciation, understanding, and happiness to so many people every single day!May the joy be with you,Rhonda ByrneThe Secret... bringing joy to billions

My Rule Of Life

Posted by Paulette on October 16, 2011 at 8:47pm

My Rule of Life

The Little Monk, p. 92

One looking for greater discipline: "Can you give me a rule of life?" The little monk: "I can only tell you mine. It serves me well, but may kill you. My rule of life is:

To win my world to a sense of wonder,
To spoil my world with small decencies,
To color my world brightly with endless splashes of beauty,
To ruin my world’s standards by always living out my baptism,
To surprise my world with unexpected kindnesses,
To fill my world with the incense of undeserved love,
To teach my world a more excellent way,
To startle my world with good news,
To listen deeply in a shallow world,
To pray without ceasing and...
To never let life end with ‘uh-oh,’
For that would mean being unprepared."

18 Random Rules of Life

Posted by Paulette on October 16, 2011 at 8:39pm

Here are 18 random rules of life worth posting on your mirror or, better yet, using as dinner-time discussion starters:

Find the lesson in every failure, and you'll never fail.
The likelihood that you're right is not increased by the intensity of your conviction.
Real friends help you feel worthy and make you want to be better.
When you're in a hole, stop digging.
Don't confuse fun with fulfillment or pleasure with happiness.
Refusing to let go of a grudge is refusing to use the key that will set you free.
Hating hurts you more than the person you hate.
Counting on luck is counting on random chance; your odds are much better when you plan and work.
It's better to be kind than clever.
Don't underestimate the power of persistence.
The easy way is rarely the best way.
It's much easier to burst someone else's bubble than to blow up your own.
You can't avoid pain, but you can avoid suffering.
Self-pity is a losing strategy; it repels others and weakens you.
Shortcuts usually produce short success.
Control your attitude or it will control you.
It's more important to be significant than successful.
The world is waiting for you to heal it.

Sign the Disclosure Petition

Posted by Chris Comish on October 15, 2011 at 11:30pm

Sign the petition! I did!

The Obama White House ET disclosure petition

Formally acknowledge an extraterrestrial presence engaging the human race - Disclosure.

"We, the undersigned, strongly urge the President of the United States to formally acknowledge an extraterrestrial presence engaging the human race and immediately release into the public domain all files from all agencies and military services relevant to this phenomenon."

___

"Hundreds of military and government agency witnesses have come forward with testimony confirming this extraterrestrial presence. Opinion polls now indicate more than 50% of the American people believe there is an extraterrestrial presence and more than 80% believe the government is not telling the truth about this phenomenon. The people have a right to know. The people can handle the truth."

What the Obama White House can do about the ET disclosure petition

The White House website states, “The White House plans to respond to each petition that crosses the 5,000 signature threshold. In a few rare cases (such as specific procurement, law enforcement, or adjudicatory matters), the White House response might not address the facts of a particular matter to avoid exercising improper influence. In addition, the White House will not respond to petitions that violate We the People’s Terms of Participation. In some cases, a single response may be used for similar petitions.”

The Obama White House website continues, “Petition responses will come from a variety of Administration officials, including staff at the White House. From time to time President Obama may respond directly to petitions, but we expect most of responses to come from other Administration officials.”

Sign the White House ET disclosure petition

Readers can sign the Petition by clicking at the URL below.

http://wh.gov/gKC

A Secret Scrolls 62 to 67

Posted by Melodie Munro on October 15, 2011 at 5:13pm

A Secret Scrolls 62 to 67

A Secret Scrolls #62

A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda Byrne
Creator of The Secret and The Power

From The Secret Daily Teachings

You can most certainly help others through your thoughts, and they can help you. Every good thought you send to another is a living force. However, the person you are sending the thought to has to be asking for the same thing you are sending. If the person does not want it, then they are not in harmony with your thought frequency, and it will not penetrate them.
You cannot create in another's life against their will, but if it is something they want, your thoughts are a real force that helps them.
May the joy be with you,

Rhonda Byrne

The Secret and The Power... bringing joy to billions

A Secret Scrolls #63

A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda Byrne
Creator of The Secret and The Power

From The Secret Daily Teachings

When a big change occurs in your life it forces you to change direction. Sometimes the new path may not be easy, but you can be absolutely certain that there is magnificence for you on the new path. You can be absolutely certain that the new path contains things that you could not have experienced otherwise.

When we look back at a negative event that occurred in the past, we often see how in fact it transformed our life. We see how that event directed us toward a life that we would not change for anything.

May the joy be with you,

Rhonda Byrne
The Secret and The Power... bringing joy to billions

A Secret Scrolls #64

A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda Byrne
Creator of The Secret and The Power

From The Secret Daily Teachings

When things change in our life, often we have resistance to the change. But if you understand the structure of the Universe, life, and creation, then you will understand that life is change, and nothing ever stands still. Everything is energy, and energy is in continual motion and change. If energy stood still you would be gone, and there would be no life.

Change is always happening for the good of you and for everyone. It is the evolution of life.
May the joy be with you,

Rhonda Byrne

The Secret and The Power... bringing joy to billions

A Secret Scrolls #65

A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda Byrne
Creator of The Secret and The Power

From The Secret Daily Teachings

If you are complaining about things in your life, you are on the complaining frequency, and you are not in a position to attract what you want.

Get on to the frequency of good with your thoughts and words. Firstly you will feel good, and secondly you will be on the frequency of receiving more good.

May the joy be with you,

Rhonda Byrne
The Secret and The Power... bringing joy to billions

A Secret Scrolls #66

A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda Byrne
Creator of The Secret and The Power

From The Secret Daily Teachings

If there was a particular house you wanted, or a particular relationship or job you wanted, and you didn't get it, the Universe is telling you that it was not good enough and did not match your dream. It is also telling you that it has something BETTER and more worthy of you.

Something better is coming . . . you're allowed to be excited!

May the joy be with you,

Rhonda Byrne

The Secret and The Power... bringing joy to billions

A Secret Scrolls #67

A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda Byrne
Creator of The Secret and The Power

From The Secret Daily Teachings

The things that come most quickly into your life are the things that you BELIEVE in the most. You can only bring to you what you BELIEVE, so you must BELIEVE to receive what you want.
May the joy be with you,

Rhonda Byrne

The Secret and The Power... bringing joy to billions

Iranian actress sentenced to 90 lashes for film role

Posted by Melodie Munro on October 15, 2011 at 5:11pm

Iranian actress sentenced to 90 lashes for film role
Marzieh Vafamehr also given a year in prison for starring in ‘My Tehran for Sale’

It’s a depressing case of life imitating art.

An Iranian actress has been sentenced to 90 lashes and a year in prison for starring in a film that shows artistic repression in the country, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Marzieh Vafamehr was arrested in July and received her sentence at the weekend.

In the 2009 film, ‘My Tehran for Sale’, Vafamehr plays an actress whose work is banned by authorities and is forced to lead a secret life to express herself artistically.

Vafamehr often appears with a shaved head and no headscarf, and there are scenes of drug use in the film, according to Iranian opposition website kalameh.com.

Controversial... Marzieh Vafamehr in 'My Tehran for Sale'

Her lawyer has appealed the sentence, according to reports.

Iranian news agency Fars said the movie, directed by Iranian-Australian Granaz Moussavi, had not been approved for screening in Iran and was being distributed in the country illegally.

However, Adelaide-based production company Cyan Films said the low-budget, independent movie was never meant to be distributed in Iran.

[See more: Steve Jobs movie planned already]

The movie’s producers Kate Croser and Julie Ryan were stunned by the news. They said in a statement: “We would like to express our deep shock and sadness at the sentence.

"We continue to offer our support to Marzieh and her family by respecting their wishes to let the case and the appeal follow the proper legal channels."

They said that Vafamehr’s role was limited to acting and that she had no input behind the scenes.

Australia’s foreign minister Kevin Rudd also expressed “deep concern” at the reports.

"The Australian government condemns the use of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and is deeply concerned by reports that Ms Marzieh Vafamehr has been sentenced to one year in jail and 90 lashes for her role in an Australian-produced film," a spokesman for Rudd told AFP.

Largest virus found off Chile coast

Posted by Melodie Munro on October 15, 2011 at 5:10pm

Largest virus found off Chile coast

Megavirus chilensis is so large it can be viewed using an ordinary light microsc

Scientists have found the largest-ever virus in water off the coast of South America.
Researchers said the "giant virus", Megavirus chilensis, is "isolated off the coast of Chile".

Like the Mimivirus, previously thought to be the largest, it thrives in freshwater amoebae, single-celled organisms.

It has more than 1,000 genes and its genome is 6.5% larger than the DNA code of the Mimiviru
The Megavirus has the "largest viral genome fully sequenced so far", the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal said.

It is between 10 and 20 times longer than an average virus and is larger than some bacteria, Professor Jean-Michel Claverie from Aix-Marseille University in France told BBC News.
He said: "You don't need an electron microscope to see it - you can see it with an ordinary light microscope."

The scientists found the virus when they were sampling sea water near a marine station in Las Cruces, Chile.

˜ƸӜƷ˜”*°•.¸ღ¸MESSAGE FROM THE ANDROMEDA GALAXY ~ *THE SIGN OF HUMANITY IS LOVE*☆´˜ƸӜƷ˜”*°•.¸ღ¸☆

Note: this page contains paid content.

Note: this page contains paid content.

Note: this page contains paid content.

˜ƸӜƷ˜”°•.¸ღ¸MESSAGE FROM THE ANDROMEDA GALAXY ~
THE SIGN OF HUMANITY IS LOVE☆´˜ƸӜƷ˜”°•.¸ღ¸☆