Get It On!
Posted by Michelle Moquin on February 13th, 2009
TGI Friday!
And if you’re hoping to get some this weekend…remember to put it on before you get it on! Seriously, to those of you having sex without a rubber – First of all, shame on you. Secondly, if you don’t care about your life, that’s one thing, but at least consider others that you are putting at risk. Be responsible – Don’t be inconsiderate and stupid.
Okay, I wanted to keep this light and fun. If the previous paragraph didn’t inspire you to put a jacket on it, I’m hoping this humorous video will be a reminder and flash through your mind the next time you decide to have sex. And if this doesn’t inspire you, (and make you laugh out loud) sadly, nothing will. But, I’m gonna be optimistic and trust that you will heed my advice :) Enjoy!
*************
Burt: Get in line. Hahha!
Zen Lill: I’d love to hear what you have to say.
Doug: Oh yes, I am well aware of this! You know I posted this picture for you know who :) And yes it is getting hot around here.
Scott: Bend over so I can spank you. And don’t love it too much like I know you will.
Meymaneh: I agree.
Madaline: Great to hear from you. And thanks for the Azza update. It is good news and I hope that it continues to be. So, the US and Russian satellites that collided on Tuesday was just ‘a story’ then eh? Oh, I would love to hear her side of it. Keep us posted. Thanks.
Phoebe: Your story is an inspiring one and I hope that many more people will take an interest and learn. Thank you for writing in and providing the name of the movie. I have not seen it but I am now inclined to rent it.
DNSR!: You have written in twice before. Thank you for your reports. I know little of the civil war between LTTE and the Sri Lankan government, except for the fact that this war has been going on for decades and civilians are having a difficult time reaching the safe zones. And it was unclear to me of your position until now. I need to discover and learn a bit more before I comment further. Peace to you.
Okay, I’m done. I know…I know…it was a quickie. (Pun intended :)
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: Your Bad Ass Bitch Editor
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February 13th, 2009 at 7:49 am
The Healing Power of Mushrooms
Robert B. Beelman, PhD
Pennsylvania State University
or centuries, Asian physicians have used mushrooms for medicinal purposes, but only recently have they become a focus of research in the US.
Latest findings: In addition to being highly nutritious, mushrooms contain chemical compounds that appear to lower the risk for elevated cholesterol, cancer and other serious conditions.
Studies on the medicinal properties of mushrooms — in whole food as well as supplement and extract form — are underway at the National Cancer Institute and other medical organizations.
It’s not yet known whether mushroom extracts and supplements are more beneficial than the whole food. Some medicinal mushrooms, such as reishi, have a tough, woody texture and can be taken only as an extract. But most — shiitake, maitake, etc. — are edible and available at supermarkets and specialty stores.
Caution: It’s best to avoid wild mushrooms and to eat only those that have been proven safe — that is, store-bought mushrooms.
Aim to eat three to six ounces daily of a variety of mushrooms. Raw and cooked mushrooms contain equal levels of nutrients.
Important health benefits…
CHOLESTEROL CONTROL
High cholesterol is among the main risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Studies have shown conclusively that patients who lower LDL “bad” cholesterol with statin drugs can reduce their risk for heart attacks by 25% to 50%.
New finding: The oyster mushroom contains significant amounts of statin-like compounds, which suppress the activity of HMG-CoA reductase, an enzyme used to make cholesterol in the body.
Bonus: It’s possible that oyster mushrooms can lower LDL without suppressing HDL “good” cholesterol.
All mushrooms contain chitin, a structural material that strengthens the cell walls in people who eat them. Chitin, which accounts for 25% to 30% of a mushroom’s dry weight, binds to cholesterol molecules in the intestine and prevents them from passing through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream.
ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY
The white button mushrooms that dominate the produce bins at American supermarkets were once thought to be insignificant sources of disease-fighting antioxidants — but new research shows that they’re high in L-ergothioneine, an antioxidant that’s produced only by fungi.
Crimini and portobello mushrooms contain even more L-ergothioneine than white button mushrooms, and have the highest overall antioxidant content. What’s more, all three of these mushrooms contain about 15% more L-ergothioneine than wheat germ or chicken liver, which previously were thought to be the richest sources.
The body has a chemical transport system dedicated solely to L-ergothioneine, which indicates that it’s critical for normal metabolism.
In addition to L-ergothioneine, most mushrooms are also rich in selenium. Depending on the variety, one serving of mushrooms (about three ounces) provides about 10% to 20% of the recommended daily intake of this mineral — 55 micrograms (mcg) for women and 70 mcg for men. Selenium is a very powerful antioxidant that inhibits blood-fat oxidation and the accumulation of arterial plaques.
Important: Most “specialty” mushrooms, such as oyster, shiitake and maitake, contain only trace amounts of selenium because they are grown on hardwood or sawdust, rather than selenium-rich soil. White button and crimini mushrooms are good sources of selenium.
ANTICANCER ACTIVITY
As far back as the 1950s, studies showed that laboratory animals with cancer that were given mushroom extracts had higher survival rates.
Increasing evidence now suggests that mushrooms contain chemical compounds and nutrients with anticancer properties.
Those anticancer chemicals…
Lentinan, a substance in shiitake mushrooms, has been found in animal studies to increase levels of immune cells (such as T- and B-lymphocytes) that suppress tumor development.
Aromatase inhibitors suppress the enzyme aromatase, which converts androgens (the so-called “male” hormones) into estrogens (the so-called “female” hormones). Lower estrogen levels may reduce the risk for prostate cancer and some kinds of breast cancer. White button, crimini and portobello mushrooms have the highest levels of aromatase inhibitors.
5-alpha-reductase, an enzyme found in white button mushrooms, suppresses the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone that promotes the development of prostate cancer.
WEIGHT CONTROL
An average serving of mushrooms has only about 28 calories and 0.4 g of fat — nearly ideal for a weight-loss diet. The high water (more than 90%) and fiber (up to 1.8 g in shiitake mushrooms) contents make mushrooms more filling than many other low-calorie foods. The chitin in mushrooms is also beneficial for weight loss because it reduces the absorption of fats.
/Health interviewed Robert B. Beelman, PhD, professor of food science and chair of the Plant and Mushroom Products Impact Group at Pennsylvania State University in University Park. His current research focuses on the nutritional and medicinal values of mushrooms.
February 13th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
I couldn’t stop laughing. Loved the column today.
John
February 13th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Michelle
“So, the US and Russian satellites that collided on Tuesday was just ‘a story’ then eh?” So what does that mean?
Perry
February 13th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Misch, just left you a vmail on office line.
This vid is so funny, did you see the Durex ‘recruit’ video with the woman straddling the chair, it’s at the end of this one on youtube – very funny…!
Azza will be back on Tuesday AM? How exciting, so will we hear from her asap, I hope…kind of wondering how real Zen Lilly is doing, and I am just kidding : ) but cyborgs do that, too…hmmm…
Ok, I’m out…Misch, I’ll be around most of the weekend, let’s talk, sistah! Luv, Zen Lill
February 13th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Oh forgot to say – Melanie, hi, listen – you’re co-workers aren’t the only ones who think Anonz and I have been meeting for awhile : ) – ZL
February 14th, 2009 at 4:46 am
Happy Valentines day to you
We have now reached a safe area (as opposed to a “safe zone” which is anything but safe) and will proceed with valentines festivities at this destination. Sorry to be unclear with reporting so far as sometimes connecting from remote locations has proved difficult and avoiding unconscious forces is also prudent as you know. I recommend following this link to anoother writer’s last words – http://worldwithoutwar.sg/2009/01/letter-from-the-grave-lasantha-wickramatunga/
Peace out.
February 14th, 2009 at 9:48 am
Dnsr
It is so sad about Lasantha Wickramatunga. And even sadder that the world is so full of violence. I wish you the best. Is there anything the readers of Michelle’s blog can do to help. Should we write our Congressional representatives? And if so what do you recommend that we address?
Loni
February 14th, 2009 at 9:51 am
You Can Revoke an Irrevocable Trust: Here’s How
Gideon Rothschild, Esq., CPA
Moses & Singer LLP
Trusts come in two basic types — irrevocable, meaning that you can’t amend, revoke, or change the trust… and revocable, sometimes referred to as a living trust, which can be amended by the person who set it up, or revoked entirely. Can an irrevocable trust, which by definition means “nonchangeable,” ever be changed? Surprisingly, the answer is yes. What you need to know…
IT WAS A MISTAKE
Creating an irrevocable trust requires something of a crystal ball — you have to specify in advance what the trust should do with your assets, to whom the assets should eventually be given, in what amount, and when. Unfortunately, even the best crystal ball gazers sometimes get things wrong. Examples…
While you were happily married and had two wonderful children, you set up an irrevocable trust to hold life insurance with your family as beneficiaries. Years later, you find yourself divorced and remarried, with a new family that you also want to take care of. Meanwhile, one of the children from your first marriage is a spendthrift and the other is wealthy and doesn’t need any money from you — or one of them is getting divorced or has judgments against him and you want to protect assets within the trust from these threats.
You specified in the trust that your children were to receive money outright at a certain age, say 30. Now, you want them to receive funds staggered over various ages. Perhaps you have come to realize that obtaining a large sum all at once will prove to be a disincentive to them to get a job or otherwise become productive.
Upon reading your trust years after it was completed, you find that the attorney who drafted the document made a drafting error or did not incorporate the terms you had wanted.
Many people believe that, once established, an irrevocable trust is absolutely irrevocable. Lawyers usually tell their clients that unless it can be shown that the client was “incompetent” at the time the trust was created, there is no recourse. Both are unaware of any way to “undo” the trust. Because of recent developments, as well as creative ways to apply old laws, this is not so. Here are ways to amend any kind of irrevocable trust or to get around an otherwise “unrevocable” situation…
SET UP A NEW TRUST
In certain states (e.g., Delaware and New York), if a trustee has unfettered discretion to “invade” principal, the trustee can take the funds from one trust and pour them into another trust created with the terms you now desire. As long as the new trust does not impinge on the rights of income beneficiaries (such as the right to receive a certain amount of income) from the old trust, changes can be made to affect the rights of remainder beneficiaries, those who ultimately receive property when the new trust terminates.
No assent by the beneficiaries of the old trust is required and no court approval is necessary.
Example: A person sets up an irrevocable trust for his spouse to receive income for life, with the remainder of the property that was put into the trust to be distributed outright to his two children when the spouse dies. Where state law allows it, the person can create a new trust in which the remainder is not immediately distributed but rather doled out to the children over time.
Caution: This strategy may expose the new trust to a lawsuit — the child who would receive less from the new trust than the old may sue (this has not yet been tested in court).
Going forward: Using the “new trust” approach with an irrevocable trust raises potential tax exposure for income, generation skipping, and gift tax consequences that need to be addressed with a tax adviser.
CHANGE BY CONSENT
Under common law and many state statutes, you can change the terms of a trust by obtaining the consent of all beneficiaries and the trustee. Doing this requires court approval. And, where beneficiaries are minors, guardians must be appointed to protect their interests.
You need to demonstrate to the court that the change in the trust is in everyone’s interest and is needed to accomplish a common objective (e.g., protecting family assets).
Example: One of the beneficiaries might be a disabled child who would not qualify for government benefits if his portion of the trust is distributed to him. With the consent of the other beneficiaries, the trust might be amended to provide for a continuing trust that would not disqualify the disabled beneficiary from receiving government benefits.
Caution: The case law of the state in which you reside controls what’s needed to meet this standard.
SELLING OUT
Another strategy is to sell the assets that are in the original trust to a new trust as a way to reduce the amount of money subject to the old terms and to create a new pot subject to new rules.
Life insurance. In the past, it was not clear, unless one received a private letter ruling from the IRS, whether a sale of a policy from one trust to a new one was tax free. A new IRS revenue ruling (Revenue Ruling 2007-13) now endorses this approach if both trusts are grantor trusts (trusts treated under the tax law as owned by the person who set them up). The sale must be done while the grantor is still alive.
Example: Say you created an irrevocable life insurance trust in which you instructed that proceeds from the policy be distributed equally to your two children when you die. Now, however, one child has become wealthy in her own right, so you want all the funds to pass to the other child. There is a $5 million term policy on your life with no cash value in the trust. The annual premium for the policy is $10,000, and six months have elapsed. The trust can sell the policy to a new trust for fair value, which in this case would be 50% of the annual premium, or $5,000. You would fund the new trust with enough to buy the policy. The old trust would retain the sales proceeds, $5,000, and distribute them according to the terms of the old trust, while the policy’s death benefit, $5 million, would have been shifted to a new trust and eventually distributed according to the new terms.
Closely held business or real estate. Say an irrevocable trust is holding a noncontrolling interest in a closely held business or in real estate and you no longer like the terms of the trust. In such a case, a noncontrolling interest in the business or the property can be sold to a new trust that contains more favorable terms.
Since the interest is illiquid, the value of it when sold to the new trust is less than the pro rata value of the entire interest (a valuation discount is applied). And, since there will be no interest in the business or real estate left in the old trust, this maneuver will freeze the value of the old trust (it will hold the sales proceeds) and put the future growth (any appreciation on the assets) in the new trust.
Caution: With both “selling out” strategies, there are capital gains tax issues to take into account. Work with a knowledgeable adviser.
Tax Hotline interviewed Gideon Rothschild, Esq., CPA, partner in the law firm Moses & Singer LLP, 405 Lexington Ave., New York City 10174. He is adjunct professor in estate planning and wealth preservation at New York Law School, New York City, and University of Miami School of Law, Coral Gables, Florida. For additional articles on wealth preservation, go to http://www.mosessinger.com.