Tuesday, September 29, 2009

A Dedication to BW making that New Step to Empowerment

It Takes what It Takes

(teshuva means return)
(Hashem = The Name; i.e. God)



And....

Psalm 121...

Monday, September 28, 2009

Kicking off The New Year

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I'm still trying to figure out if Israel is going to war or not. Some say yes-- that would be scary because the next holiday is Sukkot which is a very out doorsy one. Some say no-- that's also scary because Iran is working hard to explode us out of the planet. And America is not going to be on Israel's side. In fact, they are ready to shoot down Israeli jets if the Jets enter Iran airspace.

I missed the news about the Muslims congregating at Capitol Hill for a day of Islamic unity. It was on September 25th I think. A major organizer for this rally was the controversial lawyer, Hassen Abdellah.

I had the easiest fast ever this past Yom Kippur. I don't normally fast well, but for some reason I did really well this time. Even when the fast was over I did not have the urge to eat everything in the house lol!

I'm still getting to know Tsfat. As soon as I can find my camera I'll post up some pictures, God willing.

Some old news: Before my computer went capluwee, I heard that Semenya has a new look. More feminine.

before:









after:


Well, glory is ALWAYS pregnant. Whenever you get honor, expect a birth. I mean complete with childbirth pangs, a new baby, risks, etc. Yes risks. Caster Semenya can either have an easy childbirth and a healthy baby (the new "champion" Caster) or she could have a terrible childbirth (which she's having) but a healthy baby or vice verse, or God forbid a terrible childbirth and loss of the baby!

I wish her good advisors/ midwives.

If I can give her, and any new BW who finds themselves in that situation, I cant say I have great advice. All I can say is that the body knows what to do. Just breathe --i.e. just be. Hum through the pain. Give the glory to He Whom it truly belongs (i.e. Thank God) and don't wrestle with the nay sayers and wicked spin doctors. Any further entangling with them will only give them undeserved importance.

Just win the championship and don't submit to gender tests or what have you. If your glory is clouded with controversies, so be it. Just make the birth easy and nurture that new baby so she can grow up knowing she's the daughter of a champion.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Rosh HaShana!!

*from Chaya
Rosh HaShana, the new Jewish year, is finally here! On this day, we crown G-d as King. We crown Him King every day really, but this day is specially aside for this coronation. Throughout the year, we toil and work hard, and G-d is beside us in our endeavors, they should only be for good! And on this day, He returns to His throne, so to speak. This is a time of celebration, folks. Cook your best food, dress in your finest attire, stand straight and let your heart take pride. G-d is our King. Look at the what He has created, and how can we not be awe-struck! From star-filled night skies, to deep ocean depths-from the mysteries of our human heart to the miracles of birth. Yes, G-d, yes. We gladly and proudly crown You King.

G-d bless!

What is cholesterol?

Hi, this is Chaya, Miriam's sister. Miriam moved up to Tsefat, and she is settling in. However, as we all know, computers can be finicky things, and she's presently having some computer problems. But she says hello to everyone and hopes to get back to blogging soon. So, in the meantime, she asked me to write a post or two. This one I wrote awhile back. Peace!
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What is cholesterol? I hear the word thrown around a lot, but what IS it exactly?

Cholesterol is steroid, which is a lipid. Hmm, what's a lipid? It's a large molecule in the body that comes as waxes, fats and hey, steroids!

Cholesterol is produced in the liver, and it forms other steroids, the sex hormones, and helps make Vitamin D. It also maintains the structure of cell membranes.

We know how water and oil don't mix, right?

Well, cholesterol is waxy, and blood is "watery." So, the way cholesterol gets around in the blood is by attaching itself to a protein and voila! You've got your lipoprotein! (There's the "good" cholesterol, HDL, and the "bad" one, LDL.)
LDL, or low-density protein is considered bad b/c it's the one bringing cholesterol to our arteries which, we're told, leads to heart disease.

But let's zip into the world of arteries and check out the scene...

When the cell membranes in the arteries becomes damaged, cholesterol gets sent to the rescue to basically patch up the holes and cracks. That is it's job-to maintain structure. So, if my blood cholesterol is too high, it means I'm needing a lot of cholesterol to protect myself from damage. But why the damage?

Sally Fallon, author of Nourishing Traditions refers to cholesterol as the police force. If you've got a lot of crime going on, you're gonna need the police frequently. But you can't blame the crimes on the police! You've got to smoke out the real culprit...

And taking a drug to prevent the liver from producing cholesterol is like turning off the alarms and giving the police a vacation! Not too smart.

So, why all this cholesterol? What are the "crimes?"

Well, firstly if someone has poor thyroid function, she's gonna have high cholesterol levels. The NY Times reports that about 15 million American have UNRECOGNIZED thyroid disease, often mistaking it for something else. Symptoms can include weight gain, dry hair or hair loss, fatigue, depression, abnormal menstrual cycles, etc.

Poor thyroid function can occur when the diet is high in sugar and low in usuable iodine, fat soluble vitamins, and other nutrients. (There can also be a genetic factor.)

Whoa.

Secondly, ruptures and damage to the artery walls occur when there's a lack of vitamins and minerals and instead a lot of processed foods, oxidized cholesterol, and the deadly trans fats that cause the body to need lots of repair.

When you think trans fat, think margarine...

Thirdly, high levels of homocysteine, an amino acid, seem to be related to plaque build-up, an indicator of heart disease. This may be caused by a Vitamin B12 deficiency.

Ok, so I understand abit more what cholesterol is. Aside from other uses, it's my alarm, my police, my band-aid, and I need it.

But I need vitamins and minerals to ensure that my alarm doesn't go off and to make sure my body remains strong. That means eating more of the good stuff: Green, leafy vegetables, fruits, and throwing in eggs in the mix. Folic acid, and vitamins B6 & B12 are our targets, in this case. They break down homocysteine.

These are the power-packed, butt-kickin' foods G-d has already made for us!!!

Plus, natural sea salt is a good source of usuable iodine. I know there's table salt with iodine added, but NATURAL sea salt has not been refined, and at this point the less refined, the safer we are!

G-d bless!

Check it out yourself...

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4677

http://www.endocrineweb.com/hypo1.html

http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/hypothyroidism/risk-factors.html

http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/Cholesterol-Cell-Membrane.html

Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon

Friday, September 4, 2009

Change of Place

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In Judaism, the sages say there are three things that can change one's mazal: a change of place, changing one's name, and changing one's behavior. (Some translate mazal as luck, but its more like the flow of energy. we want mazal tov /good flow of energy). So, when we moved to Tsfat, I was nervous to see what kind of mazal we would have.

Well so far, my email has been stolen.

The contractor turned out to be a thief! (Yeah, so much for the story about the three Arabs beating him up).

Some good things happened also...

I'm closer to my true friends.

I'm more able to be the real me, rather than the pretended socially acceptable me.

Ah, Rosh Hashana....

Thursday, September 3, 2009

No Despair




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Despair does not exist at all!

Renew yourself. Continuously! Begin anew. Refresh yourself and try again.

Every day is a new beginning. Go!

Shalom, Madonna

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Madonna is in Israel. Rumors have it, she's trying to find residence in Tsfat. Maybe she'll be my neighbor? LOL!