Lost Cat: Missing Missy (Finale)…Plus More
Posted by Michelle Moquin on July 9th, 2010
Check out David’s revised poster for Shannon’s Missing Cat, Missy:
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.42pm
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww
____________________________________________________
From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.51pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww
Can you just please take the reward bit off altogether? I have to leave in ten minutes and I still have to make photocopies of it.
____________________________________________________
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.56pm
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww
____________________________________________________
From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 1.03pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww
Fine. That will have to do.
************
Readers: Cute huh? I liked it. How are you? Thoughts? Feelings? Flap your lips…it’s Friday. By the way, my computer is back so I am back in touch. Blog me.
On another note, I rarely mix it up here but I just have to talk about the latest here in Oakland. Maybe you are familiar, maybe not, but we had a shooting here at the BART station about a year and a half ago. The police officer, Johannes Mehserle was white. The man, Oscar Grant, he shot point blank in the back while he was down on the ground, was black. He killed Grant.
The trail was moved to LA, California because they felt that the Mehserle would not get a fair trial. Bt what about a fair trial for Grant? There was not one black person on the jury. After a little over 6 hours of deliberation, Mehserle was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, a huge disappointment, and I agree. Mehserle should’ve gotten 2nd degree murder.
BART officers are not even supposed to use their guns. Why they even have them, I don’t know. Mehserle said tat he meant to pull out his taser. I don’t believe him. I believe he knew exactly what he was doing when he pulled out his gun instead of his taser. Minutes before he killed Grant, he was shouting racial slurs.
This, in my opinion, was a racist killing. How does one hold a person face down on the ground, with their knee in the back of an individual, pull a gun and shoot them point blank, and not say that they meant to kill him? This was a racist killing, and I have no problem saying so. FYI: This was all caught on video.
The fact that a white police officer got any type of sentence for shooting and killing a black man is how some people justify this sentence, but that doesn’t mean that the officer got what he deserved, and that should be recognized too.
Mehserle Convicted of Involuntary Manslaughter
A jury found former BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle guilty Thursday of involuntary manslaughter, concluding that he did not intend to kill train rider Oscar Grant when he shot him in the back on New Year’s Day 2009 but acted so recklessly that he showed a disregard for Grant’s life.
The verdict was an all-but-unprecedented instance of a police officer being convicted for an on-duty shooting. But it deeply disappointed Grant’s relatives, who said the video-recorded shooting was a murder and that Mehserle deserved a sentence years longer than the one he is likely to receive.
“My son was murdered,” said Wanda Johnson, Grant’s mother, outside the downtown Los Angeles courthouse where the trial was moved to escape heavy publicity in the Bay Area. “He was murdered and the law has not held the officer accountable.”
The jury also found that Mehserle, 28, had used a gun during the crime. In all, he could be sentenced to five to 14 years in prison.
The jury took 6 1/2 hours over two days to decide that Mehserle was guilty of a crime, but not guilty of the other options it had been given – second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter.
Their verdict suggests they believed Mehserle when he testified that he had mistaken his pistol for his Taser as he sought to subdue the 22-year-old Grant at Fruitvale Station in Oakland following a fight on a BART train, a shooting that was captured on video by five other riders as well as a platform camera.
‘I love you guys’
Mehserle, who had been free on $3 million bail, was remanded into custody and led away in handcuffs after the verdict was read. Dressed in a gray suit and blue shirt, he turned to his sobbing parents and sister in the front row of the gallery and said softly, “I love you guys.”
His attorney, Michael Rains, did not comment outside court. But the president of the Peace Officers Research Association of California – whose legal fund is paying for Mehserle’s defense – said he had mixed feelings.
“This whole thing is such a tragedy and such a waste. There’s been a life lost and a life ruined,” Ron Cottingham said. “I’ve had a chance to meet Johannes Mehserle and I know the type of person he is. It was an accident, and Mehserle is paying dearly for that accident.”
John Burris, an Oakland attorney representing Grant’s family, decried “a true compromise verdict.”
“The system is rarely fair when a police officer shoots an African American male,” Burris said. “No true justice has been given.” Grant was African American and Mehserle is white.
Grant’s uncle, Cephus “Bobby” Johnson, said “we knew from the beginning that we were at war with the system. … We have been slapped in the face by this system that has denied us true justice.”
D.A. disappointed
Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley, speaking at a news conference in Oakland, said she was disappointed and frustrated by the verdict.
“We believe Johannes Mehserle was guilty of the crime of murder,” she said. “We presented the case that way, we presented the evidence that way, and the jury found otherwise.”
Jurors left the courthouse without commenting.
Mehserle’s possible sentence for involuntary manslaughter is two, three or four years, plus three, four or 10 years for using a gun. That means the minimum total sentence that Judge Robert Perry could impose would be five years, and the maximum would be 14 years.
Sentencing was set for Aug. 6. O’Malley would not say what sentence she will seek.
It is possible that there could be further criminal proceedings against Mehserle.
The U.S. Justice Department issued a statement saying its civil rights division, the U.S. attorney’s office and the FBI “have an open investigation into the fatal shooting and, at the conclusion of the state prosecution, will conduct an independent review of the facts and circumstances to determine whether the evidence warrants federal prosecution.”
If you would like th read the rest of the article, click here.
Lance: Did you like the ending? I had fun with this – It was a nice break from all of the seriousness, and something I needed. Thanks for continuing to try and post.
Anna: Hmm..I don’t think I’ve mastered my body yet, but I am trying… :)
Dwayne: I liked my cat story, but I loved your video post. Too cool.
Hey Emily: This one was one of my faves.
Lois: Oh yeah…all girls have a chance. So…even if you aren’t serious, you just might be brought up. This is why, ‘be careful what you ask for,’ is a good thing to heed, ‘because you just may get it’. See you in the big sky!
Troy: I believe Zen Lill answered your question.
AH: Nice to hear from you. Happy to know that you and Bita are still a HOT item. So give us the scoop on Dillinger. Please say hello to Adam for me.
Readers: I have an early meeting. I will address more comments tomorrow. Start flapping…
xoxo
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my ‘loyal’(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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July 9th, 2010 at 8:24 am
This is a sad day for our countries Criminal Injustice system. In the coming weeks the world will find out the extent of the injustice, as the judge will render the sentencing. This Subway Security Service officer might be able to have as minimal incarceration duration time as a year or so. It could reach to 14 years. Soon, this will also become a measure as to the extent of the Injustice system.
I came across this story this morning. In the broader scheme of what will begin to become the norm for protectionism for the city government, corporate and law enforcement communities is the following story, from Amy Goodman and Democracy Now.
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/7/9/photographer_harassed_by_bp_security_detained
Through this story you will see a dangerous pattern that certainly could emerge in our society. Though most people in our society don’t know the extent of the Terrorist Act that the Bush Administration put together, and how through it it will begin to criminalize those innocent and socially responsible people from taking pictures or video of law enforcement agents doing their terrorizing, oops, I mean “jobs”. Helping to orchestrate a silent police state until the dumbed down and complacent Amerikans wake up to how the systems really operate.
As you begin to put laws, precedents and social patterns together one can put together scenarios that are quite easy to predict. This is much how politics and Wall Street works, through the mindset of Madison Avenue.
July 9th, 2010 at 9:01 am
DO YOU GET ENOUGH OMEGA-3S? HOW TO TELL
There’s no shortage of research affirming the benefit of omega-3 fatty acids… but until now it hasn’t been all that easy to learn whether you get enough from your diet or should buy the supplements.
It’s not a casual question — high-quality fish oil comes with a wince-worthy price tag, and it may be one supplement you can afford to do without if you are an enthusiastic eater of cold-water fish, walnuts or any of the many other foods that are rich in this vitally important nutrient.
So I was intrigued to learn that there is now a home-test kit you can use to determine whether you have sufficient blood levels of these fabulous fats. Called the “HS-Omega-3 Index” blood test, it measures blood levels of the two heart-healthy fats found in fish, EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).
HOW THE TEST WORKS
I did the home test and found that it was actually very easy. All it requires is a quick swab of your fingertip with the enclosed alcohol wipe and then a prick (it didn’t hurt) with the lancet.
You have to allow blood to collect on your fingertip until there’s enough to fall as a drop onto the square of blotting paper, and then you send this paper to the lab in the enclosed postage-paid return mailer that you can drop right in a mailbox.
It took less than five minutes to prepare my sample, and in less than two weeks, I received my results via e-mail in a special password-protected account.
I spoke with William Harris, PhD, founder of OmegaQuant, LLC, the company that produces the test I tried. He told me that the company’s goal is to provide a standard for assessing omega-3 blood levels because “this is a risk factor you can do something about and, though people are increasingly aware of the need for omega-3 fatty acids, few know what their omega-3 level actually is,” he said.
Dr. Harris is director of the Cardiovascular Health Research Center at Sanford Research/USD in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and is a research professor of medicine at the Sanford School of Medicine.
IS IT WORTH THE PRICE?
How did I do? On a scale of “undesirable” (4% or less)… through “intermediate” (6%)… to “desirable” (8% or more), my result was a very satisfying 13.1%.
This measure reflects the percentage of EPA and DHA fatty acids in my red blood cells — and it’s not altogether surprising that my score was excellent, since I supplement with two teaspoons of fish oil daily.
I do have some concerns about this test kit and other products like it, however.
For one thing, Dr. Harris acknowledged that it’s not yet known exactly how much EPA+DHA any particular person should take to achieve the desirable target. At $200, the home-test kit doesn’t come cheap, but Dr. Harris told me that since medical professionals pay a wholesale price, you may be able to get the test done for less by your doctor or at a lab with your doctor’s prescription.
However, because the standards of measurement have yet to be clinically validated, it’s unlikely to be covered by your health insurer.
So is this money worth spending? If the decision whether to have this test comes down to dollars and cents, I am not sure it adds up.
On the other hand, if it shows that you are in serious need of supplementation and it gets you focused on that, it may turn out to be invaluable.
Source(s):
William S. Harris, PhD, research professor of medicine at the Sanford School of Medicine at the University of South Dakota, Sioux Falls. http://www.omegaquant.com.
July 9th, 2010 at 9:04 am
I did notice that white america didn’t make an issue of how fast a all white jury rendered their verdict.
But during the OJ trial it was one of the pieces of evidence that the jury was racially bias.
But when you white, guess it is okay.
Jamie
July 9th, 2010 at 9:08 am
Check the website out Doug. It is scary what we are headed for if we don’t get lucky.
I hope more of us will wake up. It seems that we whites are so easily led by scare tactics and the secrete belief that we are better because of the color of our skins
The wannabe dictators use that as con men use greed to scam us into supporting whatever political take over they offer.
Keller
July 9th, 2010 at 9:09 am
Still no Zen Lill
July 9th, 2010 at 9:11 am
That was a Great series Michelle. Just the right touch to lighten up the mood.
Thanks
Lance
July 9th, 2010 at 9:36 am
Michelle
I have been overweight for most of my life. I am 42 and I discover this piece of information. Maybe it explains why I later developed asthma.
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Obesity linked to asthma
You’ve heard of inhaling food? Maybe that’s not so far from the truth after all, since there seems to be a real connection between what we eat and how we breathe.
A new study confirms the evidence that’s been building for years: The fattest people have the highest asthma risk, with up to triple the likelihood of coming down with this potentially deadly chronic condition.
Think about that next time you pull up to a drive-through window… and then roll up your own window and keep right on driving.
Researchers looked at data on 4,500 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, and found that while 6 percent of all normal-weight people had asthma, a whopping 12 percent of obese people suffered from the condition.
What’s more, the odds of asthma increased right along with those waistlines–with the fattest people having more than three times the asthma risk of people at healthy weights, according to the study published in Allergy.
Obesity may not be behind every case of asthma, but it certainly won’t help–especially if you’re so big that you have trouble catching your breath in the first place. By some estimates, obese people account for up to 75 percent of all asthma-related trips to the emergency room.
That’s why so many overweight asthmatics get life-changing relief by simply going on a diet. That should be reason enough to eat better… but in case it’s not, remember: Obesity will put you at risk for conditions much worse than asthma, including diabetes and heart disease.
And even if you’re certain your weight isn’t playing a role in your asthma, don’t be too quick to dismiss your diet. The mainstream won’t acknowledge it–yet–but food allergies are major asthma triggers.
The biggest problem is finding someone with the skills to diagnose these allergies–because your own doctor probably can’t. In fact, the bulk of our allergy testing is superficial, contradictory and practically useless.
Instead, turn to a natural doctor who specializes in allergies and allergy testing, including food allergies. It might take a little work, but together, you can learn what’s triggering your condition–and whether it’s something you’re eating, or something in your environment.
And then, you can learn to avoid those triggers.
Live better, eat better and breathe easier–and maybe you can ditch your inhalers for good.
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I really have been trying to lose weight. It is just so damn difficult.
Karen
July 9th, 2010 at 9:50 am
Great article Doug. I think Tuesday’s Huff/Post emphasized the kind of equivocation that enables the crooks to continue doing the little things until they can pull off the big steal.
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Arianna Huffington: PolitiFact Embraces Equivocation, the Truth Gets Squeezed
Arianna Huffington: After extensively documenting why my claim (made during a dust-up with Liz Cheney on This Week) that Halliburton had defrauded American taxpayers of “hundreds of millions of dollars in Iraq” was true,
PolitiFact.com turned around and rated the statement “Half True.” It was an object lesson in equivocation, and a prime exhibit of the kind of muddled thinking that dominates Washington and allows the powerful to escape accountability –
and our corrupt no-accountability status quo to continue wreaking havoc on our country.
It’s a favorite trick of those in power: using ambiguity and complexity as a sort of chemical dispersant on the truth. Dilute it enough and it becomes unrecognizable. So it’s worth returning to the scene of the crime to do a little CSI exam of the evidence and see what we can conclude from PolitiFact’s head-scratching conclusion. Click here to read more.
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I hope the links work. I’m new at this.
David
July 9th, 2010 at 9:51 am
It seems that the control the republicans have over our courts is huge. And all the while the right is trying to stick the oil disaster on Obama. So which party is for regulation? You wouldn’t know by this article
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Erick Erickson is on vacation this week so I’m filling in for this Friday edition of Daily Events!
The Obama administration overstepped its boundaries when Interior Secretary Ken Salazar issued the diktat banning deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico for six months or until further notice or forever — whichever comes first — because six months sitting idle in the drilling business causes expensive equipment and drilling crews to move on to other places like Venezuela and Brazil — taking the jobs with them.
Yesterday, the 5th Circuit Court handed the drilling moratorium another blow with a unanimous decision against Obama’s overreach.
It is the Obama administration, not the oil industry, which approved BP’s Deepwater Horizon permits, designs and disaster response plans. Read more about these new developments in my story here!
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Evidently the right feels that the people have forgotten that they are the ones for no or very little regulation of big business while they are still pushing for the right of big business to operate as usual.
Mike
July 9th, 2010 at 10:04 am
The answer to the Quib – What does “Internal Revenue” mean is
A call girls/boys earnings.
July 9th, 2010 at 10:05 am
I can not get on. Michelle are you screening what we say?
July 9th, 2010 at 10:59 am
How Health Insurance Reform Works for You; Boston Federal Court Rules DOMA Unconstitutional; Passport Fee Change
July 9, 2010
How Health Insurance Reform Works for You
Since the Affordable Care Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama, several health insurance reforms have already gone into effect to put Americans back in charge of their health care. Most recently, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) to provide a new health coverage option for Americans who have been uninsured for at least six months and have been unable to get health coverage because of a pre-existing condition.
It is a transitional program until 2014, when insurers will be banned from discriminating against adults with pre-existing conditions. To learn about the PCIP in California and to request an application to participate in this program, you can click here.
You can also visit the new HHS Web site at http://www.healthcare.gov/ to explore your health insurance coverage options, gain insight about prevention, compare quality care, and learn more about the Affordable Care Act.
Boston Federal Court Rules DOMA Unconstitutional
I strongly support yesterday’s rulings by a federal court in Boston that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) violates the Constitutional guarantee of equal protection. Signed into law in 1996, DOMA prohibits federal recognition of same sex marriages and allows individual states to refuse to recognize marriages performed in other states. I strongly opposed and voted against this legislation.
We must continue to work against division and distraction in our country, and work toward the day when all American families are treated equally.
Passport Fee Change
Beginning July 13th, a new schedule of fees for passport applications will take effect. You can click here to view the new fee schedule.
For passport assistance, the San Francisco Passport Agency is open by appointment only. The automated appointment system permits customers to schedule appointments from any touch tone phone. Only customers who are traveling within three weeks are allowed to schedule an appointment.
Those traveling in more than three weeks must apply for passports through the local passport acceptance facility. Instructions for scheduling an appointment are in English and Spanish. Schedule an appointment with the San Francisco Passport Agency by calling (415) 538-2700, 24 hours a day. Consult the San Francisco Passport Agency website for more information.
If you are having difficulty obtaining a passport or other needed travel documents, you may also contact my district office at (415) 556-4862 for assistance.
Please feel free to forward this information to your family and friends. To learn more about these efforts, to express your views, or to sign up for email updates, please visit my Web site. I am now on Twitter http://twitter.com/SpeakerPelosi.
Sincerely,
Member of Congress
July 9th, 2010 at 11:11 am
Michele
I am very serious. I want to be a girlz. I have to walk three miles to get to a computer to read your words. I never get to write in but this time i can so I am asking you to make me a girlz. I met Miss Serena Williams. She is very beautiful. She started school her for us. We love her. She looks like us and she is very happy. I am scared because my parents are trying to marry me off to the tribal witchdoctor. Can you believe that we are still expected to believe in that. Some do but most of us especially the girls do not. We see men as silly goats willing to follow anything that says it will make their lives easirr.
Get me out of here as soon as you can.
Mukondi
July 9th, 2010 at 11:13 am
Hilarious and very well written. The cat saga was very much appreciated by my group.
Subject: Take two aspirin…
Every year, English teachers from across the country can submit their collections of actual analogies and metaphors found in high school essays.
These excerpts are published each year for their amusement.
Here are last year’s winners…
23. The ballerina rose gracefully en Pointe and extended one slender leg
behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.
July 9th, 2010 at 12:43 pm
HI Mischa, I watched this protest on TV at the gym, unbelievable, he shot a 22 yr old at point blank range (thought it was my taser, my ass) that is murder, and I don’t care what color you are or who you were allegedly fighting, sickening, I felt sadness for his mother, a senseless murder.
Karen, I hope you don’t mind if I address you, but I read your comment above – if you’re serious about losing 40 lbs, I have your first baby steps for you, please don’t think I’m being patronizing, I’m not. I think I mentioned long ago here that I was heavy as a child, and yes I’ve been quite slim all of my adult life but the feeling is not something you forget.
Here is the first step, never ever skip breakfast, have oatmeal with raisins and agave, or a yogurt (kefir) and fruit smooothie, add some whey protein powder to it, or eat 2 hard boiled eggs and 3-4 pieces of turkey bacon with tomatoes. Try to eat some protein (cottage cheese/sliced turkey/hard boiled eggs/chicken, about 4 ozs and add a fruit or veggie snack, like a few carrot sticks or celery/red peppers are awesome and sweet, try a new color each sanck time) every 3 hours, it’ll keep you from cramming bad foods in your mouth. Better food decisions are made when you’re not ravenous.
NO more than 1 serving of red meat a week, less if you can handle it. And start some exercises, go easy, 20 minutes a day, walking, stretching, try to feel your muscles, sit in a chair and contract your belly muscles, you might think you can’t feel em’ but they’re in there and if you keep up the practice of getting in touch, you will feel them today/tomorrow/or next week…try it with your butt muscles also, squeeze em’ like there’s a $1000 bill that you cannot afford to lose : )
That’s it, oh wait, when you’re at the grocery store, pick out 2 new fruits and 2 new veggies you haven’t tried before. If you don’t know how to cook them, ask me : ) I’ll give you some fun ways to keep your taste buds happy, you healthy and losing weight but not the pleasure of great flavor, you have to enjoy life, right?
…it’s a lifestyle change I’m asking you to take on, not a diet, I refuse to deprive you that way. You’ll be well fed and never hungry and slim/fit in no time at all.
The rest of you women of MM blog, I have your yoga fold up stretch ready : ) first sit on your tush with soles of feet touching, knees out to the side, you are upright, spine straight, and you are gently bouncing your knees up and dwon for a count of 8-10 (called butterfly) and then take a deep breath and hold your knees as close to the floor as possible as you expel your breath, ok, NOW, fold your left leg in and lay your right on top, sole of foot facing up (lotus style) and lift your belly and chest and slowly lunge forward till your forehead is on the ground (or close to it, some find this easy, most of you won’t and it takes time and practice), now walk your hands out in front as you roll your forehead down attepting to get the crown of your head onto the floor, then tuck your arms back and under your knees, this is the tiniest you will ever be : ) I’m sure I can be packed right into a 16×16 box when I’m in position, hahaha, hold the position for 3 deep breaths the kind of breath that expands your ribcage and remember to release slowly, walking your hands back up and rolling your spine all the way up, switch feet to right on top of left and repeat, once upright again, I uaually lay back and extend my arms way over my head (shooting that white light energy) and shoot my legs out in opposite direction shooting energy through the entire leg (and arms and torso) squeeze that butt while doing this and hold it while breathing in and out 5 times deep into the ribcage…and there you have it : )
Office women, extend your arms straight out in front of you stretch and hold, now bend your elbows and have your palms face each other, now create resistance while extending those bent arms out to the side and back to the fornt, pretend your squeezing a small ball in there on the way in and pretend a friend is trying to hold yor arms in when you are exhaling the arms out, do 3 sets of 10 each, on that last set keep your palms together and lift the whole forearm up and down, creating resistance up and down, 3 sets of 10 each, finish by linking your hands behind you, you can stand to do this or seated is fine also, and stretch your neck and look at the ceiling while stretching those hands behind your back down to the floor, your back will arch slightly and your ta’s will be reaching for the ceiling and I guarentee you when you are finsihed every male will be ON the ceiling with pleasure, hahaha…I may have driven my office mates nuts way back when but I never had secretary spread or flabby anything. YOu can do all of these exercises a 2-3X’s a day, good luck!
Caio for now, Misch, I’m glad you got your mac back : ) Luv, Zen Lill, have a great weekend.
July 9th, 2010 at 2:41 pm
Here is some excellent dietary advice for anyone whose doctor advices them to try a diet soda to help with their kidney stones.
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Throwing stones at soda research
If you’ve been suffering from kidney stones, the last thing you want to do is gulp down soda–but a new study tries to make the case for you to do just that.
I had to read this one twice to make sure I wasn’t imagining this bizarre conclusion… but there it is in black and white in the pages of the Journal of Urology.
Researchers have found that citrus-flavored diet sodas– diet versions of drinks like 7Up and Sprite–contain high levels of citrate. Since many stone sufferers have low levels of citrate in their urine, it’s believed that it may play a role in the prevention of calcium oxalate stones, the most common type of kidney stone.
The researchers behind this new study say they’re not sure if this finding means diet citrus soda can actually limit or prevent stones… but that didn’t stop them from encouraging patients to give it a shot anyway, especially if they’re already trying to increase fluid levels to fight the stones.
“If drinking these sodas helps people reach that goal, then that may be a good thing,” lead researcher Dr. Brian H. Eisner told the Reuters news agency.
No, that would not be a good thing. Not by a long shot, or even by a stone’s throw.
Diet soft drinks offer soda sippers nothing more than a false sense of security. Despite the word “diet” in the name, studies have found that people who drink these beverages are every bit as likely to succumb to obesity as regular soda slurpers. Some studies have even found that diet soda drinkers are more likely to gain weight.
As painful as kidney stones can be–and believe me, I understand that pain–the diabetes and heart disease you can experience as a result of that weight gain are far worse.
Diet sodas also contain some of the worst refugees of the chemistry set, including aspartame–an additive so bad that many scientists are urging that it be banned altogether–and any number of terrifying preservatives that will do untold damage to your insides.
What’s more, there are other–much better–ways to lower your risk of rolling with these stones. And while different types of stones may respond to different methods, none of them involve drinking more soda, diet or otherwise.
One common, natural method is the so-called lemonade treatment. The new diet soda research is based loosely on this, because they both work by boosting urinary citrate levels.
There’s one catch here: Just like you don’t want those artificial sweeteners and other chemicals found in diet soft drinks, you don’t want the gut-busting empty calories of plain old sugar, either.
Drink your lemon juice unsweetened instead. It’s an acquired taste… but you can get used to it, especially if you dilute it with plain old cold water in a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio. You can also squeeze liberal amounts of fresh lemon onto your vegetables, fish and chicken, and add it to your tea.
Also make sure you’re getting enough potassium and magnesium, two essential nutrients that many stone- sufferers are low in, along with vitamin B6. Some research has also shown that dietary calcium–not calcium supplements–may help prevent the formation of stones.
You may have heard that vitamin C can cause kidney stones, but that’s just a myth–so don’t be afraid to keep taking this essential immunity-booster.
And while you definitely want to skip soda, don’t be afraid to have a beer or two. While cool brews can increase the urinary calcium–something most stone sufferers generally want to avoid–beer is enough of a diuretic that it can actually help by clearing the kidneys. The same can be said for coffee.
Finally, make sure you stay hydrated. If you notice your urine getting darker in color, you’re probably not getting enough fluids. Drink water, sip some tea, or try that lemon juice–just don’t expect to drown your stones in diet cola.
On a mission for your health,
Ed Martin
Editor, House Calls
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Zen Lill
Still no word on Anonz. I am thinking positively and hoping for the best.
Ruth
July 9th, 2010 at 2:50 pm
Michelle
A week ago I went to the Abu Shouk Camp in Darfur. It was smelly and full of sick women and children. The newly reelected criminals are terrorizing the camp and the surrounding neighborhoods. I want to be a girls so I can come back and punish these evil people.
Barogo
July 9th, 2010 at 4:02 pm
Hafa Adai Anna.
I saw this article written to an Anne on Guam and I thought I know that girl she is a regular on Michelle’s blog. So is this you?
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Woman worries about boyfriend’s fidelity
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DEAR ANNIE: I am a 21-year-old professional woman with two children. My boyfriend, “Rickie,” and I have been together for two years, and I am consumed with jealousy. I don’t want him to work because I’m afraid he’ll flirt with a co-worker or have an affair. He used to have a job, but I forced him to quit. I want him to stay home and watch the kids while I go to my job.
Rickie claims I am the only woman he loves, but it doesn’t change my response. I hate it when he even glances at another woman, even though I know his staring doesn’t mean anything. I love him to death, and he says someday we will get married to prove I’m the one he wants to spend the rest of his life with.
My previous boyfriend cheated on me, and it really hurt. I don’t want to lose Rickie the same way. What’s wrong with me? Is it natural to feel like this? — Gone Crazy In Guam
DEAR GUAM: No. Your behavior (making him quit his job) is irrational and way over the top. You need to get it under control before you drive Rickie away. We understand that your previous experience has made you distrustful, and it’s also possible that Rickie is giving you a reason to worry.
But trust is the bedrock of a good marriage, and if it’s not there, for whatever reason, you will have ongoing problems. Ask your doctor to refer you for counseling, together with Rickie if possible, but alone if you must. You need help.
DEAR ANNIE: I laughed about the woman who assumed her sons would not want their future brides to wear her wedding dress since her marriage to their father ended in divorce.
I married 54 years ago. In those days, no one had their wedding dress professionally preserved. Most girls stored the dress in a box in the closet. I once attended a wedding where the bride wore her mother’s dress. It was as yellow as the stripe in my kitchen wallpaper and did not fit her well.
Since I knew I would never allow my dress to be worn again and we had beautiful pictures of our wedding, I took it to a neighborhood enclosure and set it on fire with a kitchen match. I never told anyone, and no one ever asked what happened to my dress. I never had any regrets.
The idea of my wedding gown being turned into pillows or bassinet covers would not have appealed to me. That was my special dress, never to be used again. I believe every girl should have the privilege of choosing her own wedding gown. — Celebrating 54 In Jacksonville, Fla.
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I know that the mailing address is in LA, CA. But that could be a dodge.
Torri
July 9th, 2010 at 4:04 pm
Bring it on California.
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ALIFORNIA | LOCAL
Measure to legalize marijuana will be on California’s November ballot
March 25, 2010 | By John Hoeffel
An initiative to legalize marijuana and allow it to be sold and taxed will appear on the November ballot, state election officials announced Wednesday, triggering what will probably be a much-watched campaign that once again puts California on the forefront of the nation’s debate over whether to soften drug laws.
The number of valid signatures reported by Los Angeles County, submitted minutes before Wednesday’s 5 p.m. deadline, put the measure well beyond the 433,971 it needed to be certified.
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I’m moving to CA so I can vote yes. Anyone want to join me?
Henry
July 9th, 2010 at 4:25 pm
Here’s more proof that the republicans can manipulate the ballot just about whenever they want to in the South.
Here they field a man posing as a Democrat to run against the candidate they want to win. They manipulate the ballot to insure Alvin Greene’s win in a town that everybody knows everybody but no body knows him and he wins the Democratic primary.
The National or local Democratic Party don’t even know who he is. Yet he wins without campaigning one day. The ballots belong to the computer savvy person who is willing to manipulate the will of the American people for his/her own political gain or money,
Here’s the story:
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Who’s Alvin Greene? State Asks After Vote
By MARK LEIBOVICH
Published: June 11, 2010
WASHINGTON — For a few hours this week, it looked as if South Carolina might ditch its never-fail reputation for political scandal in favor of a genuine history-making event.
There was Nikki Haley, a lawmaker of Indian descent, beaming on election night with her husband and children after taking a major step toward becoming the first female governor of the state. It was a feel-good image to obscure the stain of a campaign marked by ethnic slurs, accusations of marital infidelity and yet more national marveling over how a single state can produce a string of political embarrassments as long as the Appalachian Trail.
But then, the television cameras started rolling on Alvin Greene’s overgrown lawn.
“Yeah, it’s been pretty nonstop for a few days,” said Mr. Greene, 32, in a phone interview Friday.
Because everyone wants to know how Mr. Greene, an unemployed Army veteran who had been completely unknown until Tuesday, inexplicably defeated a heavily favored former legislator and judge to become the state’s Democratic nominee for the Senate — and the state’s latest political circus act.
Mr. Greene had just a few peaceful hours to savor his victory in the tiny, ramshackle home he shares with his elderly father along a quiet highway in Manning, where he has been bunkered since election night.
Then, The Associated Press reported that Mr. Greene was arrested in November and is facing a felony obscenity charge; he is accused of showing pornography to a University of South Carolina student. He had been discharged “involuntarily” from the Army and showed no signs of having waged an actual campaign in recent months — no advertising, no staff, no money.
Mr. Greene, who declined to comment on the obscenity charge, would not say how he came up with the $10,440 to register his candidacy. Representative James E. Clyburn, Democrat of South Carolina and the House majority whip, suggested that Mr. Greene was a “Republican plant” and that the circumstance reeked of the “shenanigans” that have become the state’s trademark.
“We have embarrassment fatigue here,” said Dick Harpootlian, the former Democratic chairman of the state. “If there is an embarrassment equivalent of post-traumatic stress disorder, South Carolina has it.”
Even casual observers across the country can recite the recent litany of Palmetto State political antics.
The Republican donnybrook between John McCain and George W. Bush in 2000 left more scars than any presidential primary campaign in recent memory. Gov. Mark Sanford’s public swoon over an Argentinean mistress — an affair he carried on while claiming to have been hiking the Appalachian Trail — remains a spigot of late-night punch lines (while Mr. Sanford remains the state’s governor).
The Republican primary campaign to succeed Mr. Sanford featured two operatives claiming to have had extramarital affairs with Ms. Haley (who strenuously denied the accusations) as well as a Republican state senator dismissing her with an ethnic slur.
Now comes Mr. Greene, adding Democratic balance to the state’s Republican-dominated scandal sheets of recent vintage. Mr. Clyburn immediately called for someone to investigate Mr. Greene’s candidacy — who paid for the campaign, who was behind it, how did he ever win?
Mr. Harpootlian, a former district attorney, wants to know why Mr. Greene had not filed any papers with the Federal Election Commission, and Don Fowler, a former Democratic National Committee chairman from South Carolina, said he suspected that someone tampered with the voting machines.
“There is something genuinely mysterious about this whole thing,” said Mr. Fowler, whose wife, Carol, the current chairwoman of the state’s Democratic Party, has called for Mr. Greene to step aside.
Mr. Greene said he had no intention of doing so. He said the whole gambit has been his idea, that he paid the entry fee and that his was — and remains — “a self-managed campaign.” He said he would challenge his Republican opponent, Senator Jim DeMint, to a debate in September.
“It will be one hour. Live. On a major network,” he proposed. Mr. Greene said he was determined to go through with this, which would seem to belie the somewhat shell-shocked demeanor he has projected in several interviews over the last 72 hours.
“Can I end this?” Mr. Greene asked in the middle of a brief interview with a local television station in front of his house Wednesday. It might as well be his campaign’s official motto, or wish, at least as far as leading Democrats are concerned.
“Sad,” Mr. Clyburn said, referring to the spectacle that Mr. Greene has become on the cable and YouTube circuits.
Even in Manning, a town of 4,000 where everybody knows everybody, nobody seems to know Alvin Greene. “He just all of a sudden shows up and — boom!” said L. G. Mathis, 61, the owner of L. G.’s Cut and Style, a barber shop downtown.
It is another embarrassment for South Carolina, said Carl F. Jackson Jr, a graphic designer at a local newspaper, The Clarendon Citizen. “Anybody who got beyond eighth grade is a little astounded by this,” Mr. Jackson said, adding his own theory of how Mr. Greene had won. “Maybe voters thought it was the singer, Al Green.”
When asked in a phone interview Friday whether he was having “fun,” Mr. Greene quickly answered yes, before asking for clarification. “What do you mean by fun?”
Without waiting for an answer, Mr. Greene said he was not interested in “fun,” or signing autographs (which he has yet to do) or indulging any of the trappings of his unlikely celebrity.
He is interested in sticking to the issues that are important — jobs, education, justice — and to conveying why he is “the best candidate for the United States Senate in South Carolina.”
Before elaborating on why he was, Mr. Greene excused himself, saying that he had to finish another interview.
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If they can manipulate the Democratic Party primary election, the main election is but a farce.
Robert
July 11th, 2010 at 9:39 am
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December 16th, 2010 at 6:33 am
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