On Friday I interviewed Meg Gaines for our third installment of the Wisconsin Storycast — yet another branch of Wisconsin Story Project. Gaines is the Director of the Center for Patient Partnerships here in Madison and a cancer survivor. Her story is amazing, especially considering how it led to her fervent patient advocacy and the founding of the Center.

At one point in the interview (which you will be able to hear on the Wisconsin Storycast next month — stay tuned) she began to talk about how she meditates on some of the things that scare her most, namely the death of her children and her own death. She spoke about how important it was for her to come to a resolution on those frightening events so that she can face them – or, at least, the idea of them.

So, what does this have to do with me or this blog, with cancer, with asbestos? Good question. Here’s how it fits together: a day after interviewing Gaines and — as happens with many of the cancer related interviews I’ve conducted for WSP — being faced with new ideas to think about on cancer, life, death, and everything between, Dawn and I walked down to our basement to begin the demolition of a decades old (and quite humorous in decor) room so that we could refinish it to better suit the expansion of our home and the child we hope to adopt. We were both very excited and began tearing walls out and then found ourselves looking at the ceiling. It was covered in this goofy thatch stuff, remiscent of the set from my high school production of South Pacific. We tore it down, and beneath it was a fiber board in sheets nailed to the floor joists. We began tearing that down, and it was old and crumbly. The basement started to look dusty. I told Dawn that we should stop and get dust masks and goggles. So, we did. Then we went at it with abandon and tore the stuff down.

Later that night, I went for a walk around the bay and started to realize that the stuff we had just torn down from the ceiling of the basement could have contained asbestos! We had worn nothing but basic dust masks and eye protection. Judging from the two Playboy issues we found in the ceiling and one wall, it appeared the room had been built sometime during or after 1976, right around the time asbestos was being seriously phased out of construction material like floor and ceiling tiles. There had been composite floor tile in the basement room too, but we had it professionally removed. It had contained asbestos. What, I thought on my walk, had I done? Had my absent-mindedness led me to allow Dawn and I to be exposed to airborne asbestos dust without proper protection? Shit.

On the walk, as I panicked over this realization, I remembered what Meg had said. I have faced cancer, faced my own mortality, my lack of invincibility — but still I remain terribly afraid. I tried to use this asbestos incident to face up to it all, to think about my death. How might it happen? What would happen to the people I love when I was gone? Could I face death in peace — with dignity? (here a classic George Costanza line springs to mind, of course: “I’ve lived my whole life in shame — why should I die with dignity!?!”)

When I came home from my walk, I didn’t know how to tell Dawn of my asbestos fear. I waited until the morning to do so. Then I went and bought a proper asbestos rated respirator, gloves, and a disposable coverall. I went back into the basement and cleaned most of the mess up. Then, I decided that I would hire professionals to evaluate the basement, test the ceiling material, and, if needed, finish the clean up.

I’m still worried, of course. If the stuff turns out to have contained asbestos, we were exposed beyond the level that I think is healthy; however, I also know that asbestos related cancers are very rare — they seem to be found mostly in folks with long term, high level exposure. And then I think, “Well, hell, 85% of lung cancers are thought to be caused by smoking, and look at all those fools that not only take in a known carginogen, but do it with pleasure, without the benefit of respirators!”

It was a small thing, really, from two small things. I ran across a story a couple years ago about two sisters, 4 and 5, who between them donated about 25 inches of hair to a charitable organization called Locks of Love, which makes wigs for kids who have lost their hair to cancer and other illnesses. Alexandra, the older one, had gone with her dad to a cancer clinic and saw th bald kids who were going through chemo, and wanted to do something to help them. “I saved for a long long time,” Alexandra said of her hair.

The story, from WTVQ TV in Lexington, Ky., has since evaporated into the digital ether. But it’s remembered here…

Ten tips on how to eat well and live healthy:

1.   Do not eat until you are genuinely hungry.  When you are hungry our stomach will tell us that it needs food.  This means the stomach is empty from the previous meal and is ready to digest a new meal.  If you eat when you are not hungry or continually eat and mix semi digested foods with new ones, it will cause the mixture to stay in the stomach pouch for a longer time.  This causes purification and fermentation of foods leading to health problems.

2.   Do not over eat.  The stomach has a limited capacity for food and needs some space for mixing and digestion.  If it is completely full, it cannot function properly.  The stomach is located beneath heart, and when the stomach is full it expands and applies pressure on the heart.  The process leaves very little space for the heart to beat at its proper pace.  Too much pressure can cause the heart to palpitate or to beat at irregular intervals.  Always stop eating before you feel full.  It takes approximately 20 minutes for the stomach to let your brains know you are in fact full and that it is best at that time to stop eating.

3.   Take liquids before solids.  Foods that are less difficult to digest and require less time should be eaten first.  After the easier swallow food has been consumed, start with harder to chew foods that need more time for digestion.  The food, which is more solid and has the lower water content, should be taken after the food, which has highest water content.  Soup and vegetables should be taken before the main meal.

4.   Do not drink while you are eating.  Water, juices or carbonated drinks should not be taken with a meal as they dilute the stomach juices and enzymes and interrupt digestion process.  This causes gas, bloating, pain, constipation and toxicity of the whole body.  Undigested food goes into the intestines and then into the colon where it putrefies and ferments to create more gas and acid, which is then re-absorbed, into the bloodstream.  Water and all kinds of drinks can be taken half an hour before and about two hours after the meal.

5.   It is best to chew each bite of food 20-30 times.  Chewing food is a very important process in proper digestion.  Dieticians recommended chewing solid food to the extent.  This ensures for proper breakdown and causes the food to change to the more liquid for before making for a more simple digestion process.  Many problems and diseases are caused by not chewing food adequately.

6.   Do not mix different food groups together and try to eat a single food group at one time.  There are different groups of food in nature, for instance fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.  Most of the food we consume is complex, but in order to have better digestion it is best not mix proteins with carbohydrates or fats with proteins.  For example, the traditional North American dish of steak   and potatoes in not a good mixture for healthy digestion and nutrients absorption.  If a potato, which is carbohydrate, gets served with vegetables it makes an ideal food combination.   Carbohydrates and vegetables also make a good combination.  A proper combination of the right foods makes for over all healthy digestion.

7.   Do not eat any processed or manufactured foods.  Any food that has been altered by the process using heat or the adding of chemicals to preserve or add flavor or is vitamin enriched is not healthy to eat.  For example, white bread does not have any food value left in it nor do cold cuts which are full of chemicals and coloring.  All added chemicals are hazardous to your health.

8.   Add lots of fiber to your meals.  The human digestive system is a long tube which should be filled with a large amount of fibrous foods.  Fiber absorbs water and cleans the digestive track.  A lack of fibers in your diet causes many kinds of disorders and diseases; from constipation to cancer.

9.   Drink at least eight glasses of water a day.  Our body is made up of 65% to 70% of water.  Without an adequate amount of water, the body does not function optimally and there is a general lack of energy and concentration.  All nutrients and vitamins must be dissolved in water in order to be absorbed into the bloodstream.  The amount of water to be drink is based on the body weight of the individual; for each kilogram of weight, one ounce of water is needed.  Note that too much water is also not recommended as it flushes the nutrients out of your body. 

10.   Exercise.  Exercising makes the muscles strong and keeps the bones dense.  It stimulates the lymphatic system keeping the fluids moving so it works better at keeping us healthy.  Our lymphatic system is responsible for waste collection and immunity protection.  It does not have a pumping system like our bloodstream has to the heart; therefore, the speed of fluid movement is very low.  Regular exercise keeps the continual appellation of toxins through the lymphatic system removing them from the body.

Until next time… Stay healthy

Katarzyna

Making my presence known as a writer, a creative force not taken lightly, has not been an easy task, nor will it ever be. I owe the ability to recognize my gifts to my husband.
We have been together, come April first, for four years. We have carved a beautiful relationship together; merging into a unified spirit. After our first year together, a year of love and laughter, I discovered he had cancer and been keeping it from me.
Those days now in the past we struggle to make it, one day at a time, on my one hundred and forty-two dollar a week job.
The past is gone and nothing can be done to change it. So, we press forward. He spends a majority of his time maintaining the house and enjoying the fruits of diverse entertainments. His battle with the cancer inside takes its toll daily.
When we met, we both were living life like tomorrow would always be there. I guess you could say maturity has sent in. He has shown me what true sacrifice is through his devotion and dedication to me and our love.
I struggled for many years with addiction. It cast a horrid shadow upon my life for far to long. I had my life under control by the time we met, but was in the process of putting it back together.
I have been writing since I was a teenager. My cousin, who ended up destined to be my high school teacher, encouraged the gift.
I truly did not believe that writing would be the destined path for me. However, the fates saw differently; I am guessing.
What to write about, how to transform into my poetic style, and how to make it something people will become immersed in when they read it has been plaguing me this past year. I recently finished writing my first book. It is a memoir of my life with journal entries and poetry intertwined to paint a portrait of my life at a specific time. Upon its completion I have been void of creativity and I have felt disconnected. The living situation with my freshly divorced mother and my ill husband has begun to create an anti-creativity atmosphere. The stress’ of whether my mother will be able to pay bills and my husbands state of health is beginning to wear me thin. I am doing what I can. I will be starting a second job soon, but nothing is guaranteed in life.
I recently joined associatedcontent.com. I had come across it researching ways to make money from your writing. I have posted some of my poetry on other websites, but was unable to generate enough buzz about it. On this website I can get paid if enough people read my work. I much rather get paid when people read my work than put it there for free. Mainly because I have a husband that deserves to experience the better things in life. I am a simple man, a humble heart, and a self abasing personality. I care not for money or the finer things. I seek happiness, peace, and the ability to just be. However that may be, I do not know what the future holds for my husband and I, nor do I know what it holds for my writing. But there have been signs recently that have encouraged me to continue exposing the world to our life and my soul.
This is only the beginning. I have many worlds within me ready to come on the seen. It is all up to all of you out there whether they come to the light or not.
My husband and I believe no matter what the end for is death and it is not far of for him, misery for me, so therefore whatever happens, happens! He believes in me and that, for me, is enough.

My first night home was great. I eventually went to bed around 1am, and slept right through to nearly 7am with only one interruption to visit the toilet. It’s amazing how much better you feel after a reasonable nights sleep. Suddenly the world looks like a completely different (and better) place.

Family and friends started turning up for my two elder daughters confirmation service at about 8:45am, and by 9:15am I was at the church with the kids (and my parents) to meet the bishop and listen to the last minute directions on the order of service. This took half an hour, after which we joined L. and the rest of our family and friends in the church, who were fortunately saving us some seats. And at 10am we started. To my surprise, I was fine all the way through the service (which went past noon) without needing to find the toilet, but the sitting/standing/sitting/standing game took its toll on my wound, and by the time the service had come to a close I was starting to feel both tired and sore.

Still, it was worth every moment to see the kids getting confirmed, especially as only yesterday it had seemed so unlikely that I would be able to even attend.

We then had everyone back to our place for lunch and an afternoon tea. I squeezed in some more drugs and a half hours snooze before lunch too, which helped immensely. In the end we had a great day – I hope everyone else did too, though the washing up was rather mountainous!

The only question now, is how well will tonight go? It would be nice if I’m able to sleep through the night again, rather than having to stay wide-awake and near a toilet all night.

Only time will tell…

By 2010, cancer will be the number one cause of death on this planet.

The LIVESTRONG way of life holds that speaking out about cancer is imperative. If we let cancer pick us off in silence, without screaming as it takes the people we love, without protesting at the top of our lungs as more and more of us are affected, nothing will change.

Our leaders, faced with many competing issues and interests, will leave this disease on the back burner, where it has grown stronger, decade after decade. And millions more of us will continue to die needlessly.

These grim facts spurred me to return to professional cycling and begin the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Campaign. Our goal is to raise awareness of the toll cancer has taken on billions of families, encourage world leaders to take action, and dispel the stigmas faced by many survivors. Strength lies in numbers, and our aim is to recruit the entire world.

I retired from professional sports in 2005, happy to devote myself to my family, the LIVESTRONG movement, and a life no longer dominated by constant training.

It was the first time in my adult life that I’d had any sustained time off, and for three years I invested my energy in the full-time fight against cancer, along with a list of interests I had always wanted more time for.

Art was at the top of that list. Studying and collecting art has been a passion and a pleasure for many years, an enthusiasm I share with good friends like Nike CEO Mark Parker. In retirement, I was finally able to focus on it more deeply. It was during this time that an idea arose to offer artists a forum in which to convey the LIVESTRONG ideals and portray what the movement means to them and how they see it changing the world. STAGES came together as a result, an unprecedented and unique undertaking.
Its importance is immense.

STAGES will project hope, strength, and commitment to millions and carry the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Campaign all over the world. I am humbled by the effort and energy given by so many to bring STAGES to life and couldn’t be more grateful to Nike and all the artists involved.

My thanks to them and to you.

LIVESTRONG.

Lance Armstrong Founder and Chairman, Lance Armstrong Foundation

www.stages09.com

Yesterday I talked about Dr. Campbell’s experiments with aflatoxin-induced liver cancer in rats, as described in his book, The China Study.  The conclusion was that cow’s milk protein is a potent cancer promoter in rats dosed with aflatoxin.

I want to take a moment here to talk about Dr. Campbell, who is sometimes dismissed as a vegan with an agenda.  I have mentioned that he was brought up in a dairy-farming family.  He went to college with the expectation of contributing to animal agricultural science.  When he began these experiments, he was as surprised as anyone.   He may have an agenda, but it’s not vegan; I can’t say whether he’s changed since 2004, but in the book Dr. Campbell is not even vegetarian.  He does not insist on eliminating animal products from our diets, and he does not appear to care about animals or the environment all that much.  He gives half a page to talk about lab animals, and is unapologetic.  As I recall he devoted about 1 page (out of 417) to animal suffering, but I was unable to find it just now.  This book is about human health.  Dr. Campbell is also not working for agribusiness, not selling supplements or a diet plan.  He’s selling this for book $16.95, and you can find it in most libraries.  I have been unable to find anyone reasonably calling his work biased or profit-driven.  Moving on.

Now Dr. Campbell wanted to gradually broaden the scope of his research.  He found that another cause of liver cancer, the hepatitis B virus (HBV), was being researched in mice, so he decided to experiment to find the effect of casein on liver cancer in mice with HBV.  This experiment would look at a different carcinogen and a different species.  Despite his earlier findings, he had a great deal of difficulty getting the support to do these experiments.  Nevertheless, he eventually succeeded and found essentially the same results in mice with HBV as he had gotten with rats with aflatoxin.

At about the  same time researchers at the U of Illinois Medical Center in Chicago was working on breast cancer in rats [endnote 1, * & *], and their findings were that increasing intakes of casein promoted the development of breast cancer seeded with either of two carcinogens: DBMA or NMU.  They also found that this promotion operated “through the same female hormone system that operates in humans” [p.65].

So the score so far is that cow’s milk protein dramatically promotes:

• liver cancer in rats with aflatoxin
• liver cancer in mice with HBV
• breast cancer in rats with DBMA
• breast cancer in rats with NMU

And don’t forget, I’ve been leaving off the “how it works” details.  Dr. Campbell summarizes: “For two different organs, four different carcinogens, and two different species, casein promotes cancer growth while using a highly integrated system of mechanisms…. For example, casein affects the way cells interact with carcinogens, the way DNA reacts with carcinogens, and the way cancerous cells grow” [p.65].

Dr. Campbell began to look to see if other nutrients would have effects on cancer.  They measured the ability of nutrients including fish protein, dietary fats, and carotenoids (antioxidents) to affect liver and pancreatic cancer.  These findings confirmed and broadened his results showing that nutrition is more important than the dose of the carcinogen.  They also found a pattern, that “nutrients from animal-based foods increased tumor development while nutrients from plant-based foods decreased tumor development” [p.66].

These results were broadening and impressive, but it was time to find out whether they were significant in human populations.  Dr. Campbell got his opportunity when he began to work with a Chinese scientist, Dr. Chen.  Next time.

Endnote:

1. Hawrylewicz EJ, Huang HH, Kissane JQ, et al. “Enhancement of the 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) mammary tumorigenesis by high dietary protein in rats.” Nutr. Reps. Int. 26 (1982): 793-806.

This book has 35 pages of tiny-type endnotes.  If you want details and sources, check it out.

The H1N1 Swine Flu virus knows no borders,has no boundaries, and has absolutely no respect for religious or cultural traditions.

This year at the annual Hajj to Mecca,  Four foreign pilgrims have died of swine flu, the Saudi Health Ministry announced on Saturday.

The Saudi Arabia Health Ministry  said none of the four foreign victims had been vaccinated against the H1N1 virus, as has been recommended by The Health Ministry.

An official statement released by the ministry said all had underlying health problems, including cancer and respiratory illness, AFP news agency reported.

Three of the victims died in Medina and one in Mecca.

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=128688&d=22&m=11&y=200Over

The BBC is reporting that….up to three million Muslims from around the world take part in the holy pilgrimage every year, but health officials have expressed fears that it could provide a breeding ground for the virus.

Authorities had tried to prepare for any outbreaks by installing thermal cameras at airports and sea terminals, deploying 15,000 additional health workers and ensuring hundreds of extra beds were available.

The Hajj (Arabic: حج‎ Ḥaǧǧ) is a pilgrimage to Mecca. It is currently the largest annual pilgrimage in the world,^[1] and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a moral obligation that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so. The Hajj is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their submission to Allah (God).^[2] The pilgrimage occurs from the 7th to 13th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the 12th month of the Islamic calendar. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hajj)

The Health Minister has reported that there are 16 other people that have been diagnosed with swine flu and four remain in hospital in “critical condition”.

He added 12 others had recovered following treatment.

The Saudi government has recommended the elderly, pregnant women, people with chronic diseases and children skip the Hajj this year.

The Saudi government has said all pilgrims need a certificate of vaccination before they can apply for a visa.

This is real people, and this disease is spreading worldwide,at a rapid pace.

I encourage everyone to get a H1N1 swine flu shot as soon as you can.The reports of any side effects are exaggerated, and will cause millions of people to perish from the lack of the vaccine.

Any paranoia surrounding any alledged complications from the shot are totally unsubstantiated, and if those people out there insist on not receiving the vaccine, then we as a society should only expect more mounting mass casualties from the swine flu, as exhibited this weekend, unfortunately in Mecca.

If it can happen in Mecca, it can happen anywhere.

Please everyone, wash your hands, and go get the shot.

To follow the full story, click on the links for my sources below…

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iDApMAhUln5jw-ffhzIZCh0I_-bgD9C41MJ00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8372378.stm

http://www.saudiembassy.net/latest_news/news11210903.aspx

CAN

Yesterday, while scratching my head through Cost Accounting textbook, I came across a inspiring story which urged me to write about it in my blog entry.

I know what you think… Huh? Cost accounting and an inspriring story? Business and charity in a book? Does it sound so unrelated? Well, this is just a small story the author inserted into his book to illustrate his theorical idea. However, I like it very much, not only because it made me get the idea of Differential Cost and Revenue but it also gave me a warm feeling in my heart.

Business people always say “There is no free lunch”, but is is really?

In America there is an organization who is trying really hard to get free flights for people. Wow, sounds great but why do they do that?

Corporate Angel Network is a charitable organization whose sole mission is to provide cancer patients free seats on corporate aircrafts flying on routine business.

Corporate Angel Network was founded in 1981 by Leonard M. Greene, founder and president of Safe Flight Instrument Corporation, Priscilla H. Blum, a licensed commercial pilot, and Jay N. Weinberg, then owner of a Mt. Vernon, NY Avis Car Rental franchise.

Priscilla H.Blum and Jay N.Weinberg had been personally going through the hardship of fighting against cancer while Leonard M.Greene lost his wife because of cancer, these three people wanted to give their helping hands to cancer patients to ease their physical pain and financial burden of travelling with commercial airline. They noticed that there are often many empty seats on corporate flights. Therefore, by putting another person on these flights doesn’t actually increase any extra cost.

With this idea in mind, Corporate Angel Network has been making contacts with many corporations and arranging more than 25,000 free flights since 1981.

Today more than 500 firms participate in CAN, including American Express, AT&T, Champion International, General Foods, Merrill Lynch, Reader’s Digest and Time Inc, etc.

It’s amazing to me that with just a little thoughtful idea, Corporate Angel Network founders have been helping and saving so many lives. And it’s also fascinating to know that so many business giants do actually care about little good things that going on beside their world of business.

“For me, the greatest pleasure comes not from the endless acquisition of material things, but from creating wealth and giving it away.”

Jay Van Andel, Founder of Amway

It’s been about a year since my final breast reconstruction surgery and I’ve finally gotten around to having my surgeon create the nipple on my bionic breast.

I knew I wanted to do this because even with a bra it is obvious that one breast has a nipple and the other doesn’t.

I’d tried the little stick-on nipples the doctor ordered for me. They stuck very well and I sometimes slept with one on because I forgot it was there. But even the so-called “large” size had only a little snap of a nipple, and it was perpetually erect, unlike the natural nipple on the other side. I knew there would be no matching the natural one, but the hard little fake nipple was not much better than no nipple. And only the areola was larger in the “large” stick-on nipple. The nipple itself was the same size in both.

I started wearing the most concealing bras I could find and preferred to wear shirts with busy patterns to divert attention from the asymmetry of my breasts.

Because the natural breast is now larger than the fake one (I’ve gained a lot of weight in the past year) I tried wearing a much larger bra, hoping to even out the differences. But that only made the difference in sizes more pronounced. I figured out that a nice 38C bra minimized the size of the bigger breast and made them both less prominent. I expect that when I lose the weight (20 lbs is my goal), the natural breast will shrink, while the fake one will stay the same.

I went in 2 weeks ago for the nipple reconstruction. The doc had been warning me that there was no way in hell he could even come close to matching my unusually large natural nipple. So my expectations were low. At that point all I wanted was to have a little bump in both bra cups  in roughly the same place, roughly the same consistency.

The doc shot me with some local anesthetic, though most of the fake breast is numb, at least on the surface. (I have occasionally had the sensation that my missing nipple itched, and the best way to connect with that itch was to rub a certain spot between my breasts. I presume the spot I rub is connected to the muscle and nerves that are still inside there.)

The doc let me watch the procedure, but had to give me a mirror so I could see without getting in his way.

First we determined where the nipple should go. I had tried to figure that out myself at home, finding it better to touch my natural nipple with one hand and then put my fingers where it felt like the other should go. I told the doc where I thought the right spot was, but he thought it was too low. So he measured the natural breast and then measured the fake one, and discovered that the right spot was almost exactly where I thought it should be, especially when we took in consideration the presumed new location of the natural nipple after I lose weight.

He draped the area, drew on me – marking the nipple location and the shape of the cutout for the new nipple – and cleaned the area. The shape he drew looked like a little boat with a round sail in the middle. He cut out almost the whole shape, leaving only a little more than  1/4″ strip at the bottom of the boat, opposite where the boat’s “sail” was. This strip was where the blood supply would be maintained to the new nipple.

For most of the “boat,” the doc’s cuts were shallow, taking mostly just skin. (The fake breast has only a thin layer of fat left anyway.) But when he got to the sail (which would become the core and top of the nipple) he cut deeper to get a good portion of fat along with the skin.

He lifted the entire semi-detached boat cutout and then stitched together the skin on either side of it…just up to the attached strip.

Then he took the two ends of the boat, wrapped them around the sail section with its core of fat, and stitched them together into a cylinder. He stitched the rounded sail itself on the top of the cylinder. And finally he stitched the base of this whole assembly (except the part that was already attached) to the breast.

For about a week I had to put antibiotic ointment on the incisions and place several layers of 4×4 cotton gauge on top, with a hole cut out for the nipple, then another 4×4 over that, then tape it down. 

He took some of the stitches out last week, some will dissolve on their own.

The doc reminds me that this will shrink over time. All techniques used so far have been unsuccessful in maintaining the projection of the nipple. I suppose if it shrinks to the point of no longer making that little bump in my bra, I might ask about injections of the kind of fillers that give women fish lips.

The final step will be to get the color tattooed on the nipple and areola area. I have a nurse friend who does medical and cosmetic tattooing and I plan to have her do the final phase. My doc does tattooing but says he doesn’t have much luck matching pale skin colors like mine. 

Even though my friend is very talented at matching skin tones and anticipating how ink colors will change as they are absorbed by the skin, she would prefer to tattoo the natural breast as well to ensure a good match. I don’t really care if they look exactly the same, nothing can make them look the same, so I will be happy with just making the fake nipple look somewhat more realistic on its own.

That’s the latest news.

Here’s a link showing a reconstruction procedure similar to the one I had, though there are many different methods, including some using skin grafts from other parts of the body.

http://www.mdanderson.org/patient-and-cancer-information/cancer-information/cancer-topics/cancer-treatment/breast-reconstruction/nipple-reconstruction.html

After last week’s carpet incident, Venus starts Monday with the hump. Jupiter, who is making Brian Blessed seem retiring and softly-spoken these days,  goes in for a feel-better bearhug. Venus wallops him over the head with her hardback first edition of How To Win Friends and Influence People, which bounces off the big god’s thick skull and lands at Mercury’s feet.

Ever open to new methods of making connections, Mercury picks it up for a flick through. Neptune and Saturn read over his shoulders. Tuesday finds Saturn woodenly trying out Carnegie’s techniques on the Sun, who, feeling tip-top full of bonhomie and having nothing else to do, puts up with it for a bit.

By Thursday the others are fed up with Mercury having his nose in the book that they dare him to try to Win Mars’ Friendship and Influence Him. It’s been so long since anyone even knocked on the god of war’s bedroom door that it seems to go well, although this might have more to do with the bag of gingerbread men Mercury wisely took in with him. A concentrated biting-off of biscuit heads could be seen as harmony, I suppose.

Anyway, Uranus and Venus at least are too busy researching tickle spots to pay much attention. Neptune staggers over to help investigate the causal relationships among variables, but Venus asks him to go away and have a bath. A long one.

Mercury and Jupiter end the week by getting up to no good and having a right laugh.

*

Aries

When your troops tramp tramp tramp across new borders this week, remember to send them with fun size Mars bars to throw to the children. Why? Because it’s a nice thing to do, and when your actions compromise others’ future freedom and essential liberty, it’s nice to be nice.

Taurus

Do something known and loved in a whole different way* on Thursday and you’ll sleepwalk into the side of a bus on Friday morning. Still, not all bad: while they put you back together again the anaesthetic gives you time to catch up sleep, and it’s a known fact that there isn’t a single unattractive anaesthetist on the planet.

*For Thanksgiving-ing Taureans this probably means a new way with stuffing; the rest of the world’s bulls will want to be swapping the with with an of.

Gemini

While sorting stuff out for Sagittarius this week, I discovered that Green Eggs and Ham was written because Dr Seuss was bet $50 that he couldn’t write a book with only fifty different words. With thought, Gemini, I bet on Thursday, like Dr Seuss you can get your point across to partners in fifty words. It doesn’t matter what I bet because none of you will manage it … but I bet you could. Hand gestures are not included in the final count.

Cancer

Miss. Miss Miss Miss. Miss Miss MissMissMissMissMiss … I made Bethlehem in the bath … with ducks.

This week is perfect for expanding religious consciousness. Perfect for creatively contemplating new concepts of divine deliverance. Perfect for communicating your intuitive, individual experience of creation. Take a tip from the six-year-old, Cancer — it’s a dead good week for making Bethlehem in your bath. With ducks.

Leo

You can spout any old self-absorbed shite on Thursday and they’ll lap it up. You might even pull. Thankfully,  an enemy shoves a dog poo through your letter box on Friday.

Virgo

Go through your CDs, pull your iPod apart, and play every single track you have of a fat lady singing. Every one. She’s got a great pair of lungs. Before Thursday, you also need to decide what sort of relationship you want with your neighbour, or they’ll decide for you and you’ll be too drunk to care.

Libra

Early in the week someone twiddles the balance thingy in the middle of your kitchen scales, just ‘cos. This results in you accidentally inventing a new, super-rising scone, which feeds humanity and solves world hunger. Next, you must work on improving the logistics of jam and clotted cream transportation.

Scorpio

This week, Scorpio, Sagittarius is telling everyone how he likes it in the dark with a goat. Don’t get jealous, get even.

Sagittarius

Get scribbling, Dr Zeus, it’s time for your annual opus:

I am man.
Man-I-am.
Man-I-am, Man-I-am.
I do so like life. Man-I-am.

And I will like life in a boat
And I will like it with a goat.
And I will like it in the rain.
And in the dark. And on a train.
And in a car. And in a tree.
It is so good, so good you see.

So I will like life in a box.
And I will like it with a fox.
And I will like life in a house.
And I will like it with a mouse.
And I will like it here and there.
Say. I will like life ANYWHERE.

Happy Birthday.

Capricorn

Past choices you’d made about money making methods affect your social interactions this week. Test out your technique before you mingle:

Q: And what do you do, Capricorn?
A: I slaughter innocent people to harvest their fat for beauty creams for the European market.

Hmm. It needs a little work before you can be voted onto the board of school governors — you could always try the golf club.

Aquarius

I’ve been staring at this week’s chart for ages, and it still all looks like Space Invaders for you. Who am I to argue? Keep your head down. Move smoothly and slowly with no sudden movements, but keep moving. Stay on the person-side of the screen — the one without pixels. If anyone comes at you with a space bar or a joystick, run.

Pisces

You’re rolling bogies between your fingers this week, Pisces, while all around you colleagues are discussing what it is to be an adult. You could tell them that it’s about being responsible for your actions; about learning from experience and moving on; about keeping a sense of compassion without allowing yourself to be walked over. Well, you could if you weren’t too busy trying to flick that  green, squidgy monster without it sticking to the end of your fingernail.

*

ARIES,  es un signo de Fuego: LA CHISPA

Su rasgo más evidente: LA IMPETUOSIDAD

Su frase favorita: ¡PRIME!

Su lema: LA VIDA ES BREVE…., ¡HAY QUE DARSE PRISA!

Aries nunca piensa lo que va a hacer, no sea que alguien se le adelante. Por eso, cuando anda, lo hace con la cabeza por delante del tronco, y si alguien, llega al mismo tiempo que él, por lo menos le saca la  cabeza: ¡Prime…!  Aries va del corazón a la acción sin reflexión: se tira desde el trampolín, y cuando va por la mitad, descubre que en la piscina no hay agua…¿y qué…? La palabra derrota no existe en su vocabulario. Es el Ave Fénix, siempre resurgirá de sus cenizas.

TAURO, es un signo de Tierra: LA CASA

Su rasgo más evidente: LA INAGOTABLE PACIENCIA

Su frase favorita: PIENSO, LUEGO INSISTO

Su lema: LA VIDA ES BREVE, GÓZALA DESPACITO Y ASÍ TE DURA MÁS
Tauro, cuando anda, no levanta un pie si el otro no lo tiene en el suelo. Por eso, más que andar, crea historia en cada paso. Aries se tira del trampolín sin mirar, y Tauro, antes de subirse al trampolín, sabe el nombre del constructor, los materiales empleados, la capacidad de  agua y los grados de temperatura, y después se tira. Aries actúa en la vida  con determinación, y Tauro con obstinación. Aries quiere que todo el  mundo le obedezca, y Tauro tiene una infinita paciencia para que los demás cambien de opinión. 

GÉMINIS  es un signo de Aire: LA RÁFAGA

Su rasgo más evidente: SER VARIOS EN UNO SOLO

Su frase favorita: VERDAD QUE TODO ES MENTIRA

Su lema: LA VIDA ES BREVE, PERO COMO NO HAGAS DOS COSAS AL MISMO
TIEMPO, SE TE HACE PESADÍSIMA

Es una ráfaga de aire con cuerpo humano, a la cual, no solo no se la  ve venir, sino que tampoco se la ve marchar. Todos tenemos un YO que  maneja nuestro carácter, pero GÉMINIS tiene dos YO, o sea, YO-YO (a veces tiene más). Uno de ellos es dulce y animador, y el otro es crítico y  revoltoso. Por eso Géminis no tiene término medio: o te ve las virtudes o te ve los defectos, depende del gemelo que le toque.  Si le toca el gemelo dulce, es posible que te diga: -Estás más joven que nunca….-Pero como le pilles con el gemelo revoltoso, puede que te diga: – Ojalá llegues a la edad que representas-

CÁNCER es un signo de Agua: EL MAR

Su rasgo más evidente: LA INSEGURIDAD SENTIMENTAL

Su frase favorita: SIENTO, LUEGO EXISTO

Su lema: LA VIDA ES BREVE; POR LO MENOS QUE TE QUIERA ALGUIEN

De entrada, no te dan ni un poquito de confianza; te la tienes que ganar a base de cariño y ternuras. Y de decirle mil veces que le quieres, porque Cáncer, más que un sentimental, es un vampiro del cariño y todo el  amor le parece poco.

Tu le dices: -Te quiero-

Y Cáncer te pregunta: – ¿Cuánto?-

LEO es un signo de Fuego: EL SOL

Su rasgo más evidente: SER EL CENTRO DE ATENCIÓN

Su frase favorita: PERO SIGO SIENDO EL REY

Su lema: SI LA VIDA ES BREVE, SÁCALA BRILLO

Leo es la estrella del Zodíaco que más brilla. Se les distingue fácilmente; es ese (o esa) que se queda mirando a un foco al tiempo que exclama:  -¡Hay que ver la luz que estoy dando al foco!-

Leo tiene un alto concepto de sí mismo. A ti te presentan a un Leo y le dices:

-Encantado de conocerte-

Y Leo responde:

-Lo entiendo-

Se les descubre fácilmente en la calle porque no andan: desfilan en una pasarela. Y si la calle está llena de comercios, Leo andará mirando los escaparates, no para ver lo que hay dentro, sino para verse reflejado  en los cristales, al tiempo que exclama:

-Si yo no fuera tan caro, me compraba-

VIRGO
Es un signo de Tierra: LA COSECHA

Su rasgo más evidente: LA PREOCUPACIÓN

Su frase favorita: PERMÍTAME QUE LE CORRIJA

Su lema: LA VIDA ES BREVE Y, ADEMÁS, NADA ESTÁ EN SU SITIO

Virgo es una lupa con piernas que empieza a ver donde tú terminas. Llega a tu casa, y lo primero que hace es pasar el dedo por el televisor, a  ver si tiene polvo.

Y como tiene ese humor tan socarrón, te dirá:  -Oye, esta tele tiene solera-

¡Lo que a Virgo se le escape! Por eso, su estado natural es la preocupación. Virgo da vueltas sobre sí mismo repitiendo:

 -Toy preocupao, toy preocupao…-

Uno le dice:

-Pero si no pasa nada-

Y Virgo sentencia: – ¡Eso es lo que más me preocupa!-

LIBRA
Es un signo de Aire: LA BRISA

Su rasgo más evidente: LA DUDA

Su frase favorita: A VECES SÍ, A VECES NO…

Su lema: NO TENGO LA MÁS MÍNIMA DUDA; LA VIDA ES BREVE…¿O NO?

Es mentalmente rápido; su único inconveniente es que al tiempo que se le ocurre una idea, se le ocurre una duda:  -Sí, sí, lo tengo claro, este año me caso…y si no es este año, el que viene…, o dentro de tres, que tampoco tengo por qué precipitarme.

La canción Libra de Julio Iglesias es un tratado sobre la  indecisión: ni te tengo, ni te olvido, a veces sí, a veces no, ni tu gato gris, ni tu perro fiel. Nunca están seguros del todo y eso convierte a Libra en un discutidor casi profesional, pero no te lo reconocerá nunca; tienes que ponerle trampas, como a los osos. Tú le dices:

-¡A ti te gusta mucho discutir!- Y Libra te dirá: -Eso no es cierto…, y te lo discuto cuanto quieras-

ESCORPION
Es un signo de Agua: LOS LAGOS MISTERIOSOS

Su rasgo más evidente: LA PASIÓN

Su frase favorita: TE DESEO

Su lema: LA VIDA ES BREVE, GÓZALA A DESTAJO

Se les reconoce fácilmente por sus misteriosos ojos. Escorpio no mira, te reta directamente. Los ojos de Escorpio son como finísimas agujas que te atraviesan cuando te imponen su mirada. Te sugiero que cuando veas a Escorpio de frente, le digas:

-Oye, por favor, baja la larga que no veo nada-

Si no lo haces, te hipnotizará, es muy pasional, exageradamente  pasional. Si te ama, te ama más que los demás, y si te odia, lo mismo. Tú a  Escorpio le regalas un libro por su cumpleaños y, él te regala una  enciclopedia por el tuyo. Amando es igual; tú le das un beso, y Escorpio te hace el amor tres veces seguidas. Odiando tampoco tiene medida; tú le rompes  la ventanilla del coche, y él te quema la casa. Claro, que es lo que  Escorpio dice:  – Yo no he empezado-

SAGITARIO
Es un signo de Fuego: LA BRASA

Su rasgo más evidente: LA VERDAD POR DELANTE

Su frase favorita: TE VOY A SER SINCERO

Su lema: LA VIDA ES BREVE, GALOPA Y CORTA EL VIENTO

Su vitalismo es agotador y su sonrisa va siempre por delante de ellos. Tienen un espíritu delicado y unas patazas que no le caben en ningún sitio. Se les reconoce en el autobús o en el metro: es esa persona  que lleva más de diez minutos pisándote el pie y aún no se ha dado cuenta, porque te mira y sonríe:

-¡Hola, hola,..!

Y claro, a alguien que te sonríe así, ¿qué le vas a decir?, ¿que te  está pisando? ¡ni se te ocurra!, porque Sagitario lo sentirá muchísimo, levantará el pie, y te dará una patada en la espinilla. Sagitario es sincero, pero no es sutil, y si se empeña en decirte la verdad, tarde o temprano te la dirá. Por eso te sugiero, que si alguien de este signo  se te acerca y te dice:  -Te voy a decir la verdad….- Le digas: -¿Y yo qué te he hecho….?-

CAPRICORNIO
Es un signo de Tierra: LA MONTAÑA

Su rasgo más evidente: CREE QUE ES IMPRESCINDIBLE

Su frase favorita: QUE SERÍA DE TI SIN MÍ

Su lema: LA VIDA ES BREVE, MENOS MAL QUE ES EMPINADA

Es una cabra y la cabra siempre tira el monte. Si ves que un Capricornio se tira desde un décimo piso, ¡síguele!, que va hacia arriba. Más que en la suerte, cree en el esfuerzo, y eso hace que como padre sea un poquito pesado. Capricornio, para ser feliz, tiene que controlarlo todo, y si no, se  pone de los nervios. Como ese cura Capricornio, que se estaba muriendo, y en su agonía le decía a las monjas que le cuidaban:

-¡Ay, que será de vosotras cuando yo muera, quien os cuidará, quién  guiará vuestros pasos!-

Y una de las monjas, creo que era Leo, exclamó:

-No se preocupe su Santidad, que también murió Jesucristo y hemos  salido adelante

ACUARIO
Es un signo de Aire: EL TORBELLINO DE COLORES

Su rasgo más evidente: SORPRENDER A LOS DEMÁS

Su frase favorita: ¿HOY QUÉ ES…? ¿AYER O MAÑANA?

Su lema: LA VIDA ES BREVE, LA BREVE ES VIDA, LA VIDA ES UNA BREVE VIDA.

POR CIERTO, ¿TÚ QUÉ BREVES VIDA?

Es un ser del futuro que vive en el presente como si ya fuera pasado.  Por eso, nos saludan como si fuéramos prototipos prehistóricos: -¡Hola Jurásico!, ¿Cómo llevas tu primitiva existencia?-  Les encanta sorprender con las palabras: -Anoche que no estabas te echaba de menos, y ahora que estás, te echo de más- No te líes, te está diciendo que te quiere, pero es que disfrutan  siendo originales. Tienen una idea por segundo; el único inconveniente es  que se le ocurre una idea, y cuando la va a hacer, se le ocurre otra, y otra,… Pero como no se le estimule el cuerpo, Acuario se va a mover  menos que un árbitro de tenis. Como ese Acuario que decía: – Se me han ocurrido tantas cosas esta mañana, que no solo no las he hecho, sino que además estoy agotado-

PISCIS
Es un signo de Agua: EL RÍO

Su rasgo más evidente: SOÑAR DESPIERTO

Su frase favorita: ¿A QUE NO SABES LO QUE ME HA PASADO?

Su lema: LA VIDA ES BREVE, PERO SI NO SUEÑAS SE TE HACE LARGUÍSIMA

Es lo más sensible que hay en el Zodíaco y tiene suelto el muelle de  la risa y el llanto, de tal manera que pasa de uno a otro con una  facilidad única. Piscis llora porque se ha muerto su tía, y al rato se  desternilla de risa porque la pobre está muy gorda y no cabe en la caja. Piscis,  más que vivir, existe! .  Ese Piscis que mira entusiasmado un atardecer, se le acerca uno y le dice:

-¿Qué haces?-

Y dice Piscis, sin dejar de mirar el atardecer:

-Nada-

Y dice el otro:

-¿Y no te aburres?-

Y remata Piscis:

-Si no me interrumpen, no

Unless you’ve been under a rock all week, you have probably heard about the government task force that has recommended new guidelines for breast cancer prevention.  It goes something like this…

If you’re younger than 50 or older than 75, you no longer have to worry your pretty little head about breast cancer, or getting those pesky boob squishing mammograms.

Hallelujah!  I wonder how long it will be before we go back to giving women Valium for chest pain?  Who needs preventative care when it’s not 100% effective anyway?  Hell, just go ahead and give us anti-anxiety meds for all of our ills…I’ll betcha we save a bundle on healthcare costs. Women already outlive men by a bunch of years, maybe this will even things out a bit…Isn’t equality what we’ve been cryin about all these years?

OK, I know, I went a little too far with my analogy.  But seriously, this is what’s going on…

*Read full post at catherine-morgan.com

In order to make informed vaccine decisions, you must know what the
ingredients are in the vaccine. There are no long-term safety studies done
on any vaccines, including the flu vaccines. This new flu vaccine will be
released without adequate safety studies.

Common Flu Vaccine Ingredients include:
 Egg protein, many are allergic to eggs
 Formaldehyde- Formalyn (formalin) is a 37 percent solution of
gaseous formaldehyde which includes methanol. (Used in vaccines
as a tissue fixative) Formaldehyde solution (formalin) is considered a
hazardous compound and it is vapor toxic.
 Polysorbate 80 shown to cause infertility in mice
 Sodium Chloride and Calcium Chloride
 Monosodium Glutamate (MSG):C5H8NNaO4, a Stabilizer MSG -
MSG intolerance: There have been numerous studies of allergies
and/or sensitivities to MSG, attributed to the free glutamic acid
component, which has been blamed for causing a wide variety of
physical symptoms such as migraines, nausea, digestive upsets,
drowsiness, heart palpitation, hair loss, asthma, anaphylactic shock,
rapidly increasing diabetes, and many other complaints.
 Potassium phosphate- a soluble salt which is used as a fertilizer, a
food additive and a fungicide. It is a source of phosphorus and
potassium. It is also a buffering agent.
 Thimerosal- a form of mercury still found in some multi-vile vaccines and is 10x more poisonous than regular form of mercury.
 Polyoxidonium- Synthetic polymers and nanomaterials display
selective phenotypic effects in cells and in the body that affect signal
transduction mechanisms involved in inflammation, differentiation,
proliferation, and apoptosis. When physically mixed or covalently
conjugated with cytotoxic agents, bacterial DNA or antigens,
polymers can drastically alter specific genetically controlled
responses to these agents.
 Squalene- An oil based adjuvant that has never been approved in the
US as safe, can cause blindness, autoimmune dysfunction and can
inhibit sperm production. More than two dozen peer-reviewed
scientific papers from ten different laboratories throughout the U.S.,
Europe, Asia, and Australia have been published documenting the
development of autoimmune disease in animals subjected to
2
squalene-based adjuvants. Novartis will make a flu vaccine using
MF59 consisting of Squalene, Tween 80 – A recent study (December
2005) discovered that Tween80 can cause anaphylaxis, a sometimes
fatal reaction characterized by a sharp drop in blood pressure, hives,
and breathing difficulties.
 Span85 another oil
 Human Diploid Tissue- organ and tissue from aborted baby tissue is
now used in manufacturing many vaccines.
 Vaccines given in the past have contained H1N1 viruses; this is not a
new virus. (novaccine.com)

It all started in Feb, 2009
In the News:

Feb 27, 2009 Toronto Sun, A large consignment of seasonal flu vaccine, which was circulated to 18 European countries, has been infected with deadly live avian flu virus. The Company that released contaminated flu virus material from a plant in Austria, Baxter International, confirmed Friday that the experimental product contained live H5N1 avian flu viruses. And an official of the World Health Organization’s European operation said the body is closely monitoring the investigation into the events that took place at Baxter International’s research facility in Orth-Donau, Austria.
The contaminated product, which Baxter calls “experimental virus material,”
was made at the Orth-Donau research facility. Baxter makes its flu
vaccine including a human H5N1 vaccine for which a license is
expected shortly at a facility in the Czech Republic.

News: From the Center of Disease Control – What are the signs and
symptoms of this virus in people?

The symptoms of novel H1N1 flu virus in people are similar to the
symptoms of seasonal flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or
stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. A significant number
of people who have been infected with this virus also have reported
3 diarrhea and vomiting. Also, like seasonal flu, severe illnesses and death
has occurred as a result of illness associated with this virus. It’s not known
at this time how severe novel H1N1 flu virus will be in the general
population. In seasonal flu, there are certain people that are at higher risk
of serious flu-related complications.
The CDC is recommending that all people take 2 regular flu vaccines and
one H1N1 vaccine this year. Giving multiple Flu vaccines has never been
tested for safety. Never have children or adults taken 3 vaccines in one flu
season.

When Medicare began to cover the flu vaccine for seniors, the hospital
visits for seniors went up dramatically that year from complications.
1997 Swine Flu Vaccine – The last time we had a swine flu H1N1 vaccine,
there were 25 deaths from the vaccine and only one death from the flu.
The vaccine program was pulled and considered a disaster. For
information, see Congressman and medical doctor, Ron Paul, on YouTube,
CNN and ABC Reports.

Some major concerns that have not been address:
 Fast tracked by the FDA, very little testing for safety
 Will only be tested a few weeks on a few hundred adults and children
 Going to give it to the children and pregnant mothers first
 One-size fits all- babies will get the same vaccine as a 280lb man;
this is not sound science and carries grave risks for the children or
those who are immune sensitive.
 We now have a whole generation of children who are immune
compromised and are suffering with autism, ADHD, seizure disorders,
diabetes and asthma. These children could potentially have severe
reaction to this vaccine.
 First responders will be next, police, firemen, EMS, nurses…
4 2001 a bill was passed that totally protects any vaccine manufacture
free of all liability from injury or death!
 Drug companies were given billions of tax dollars to develop
experimental flu vaccines last year
 Many of these vaccines are coming from Europe where some
ingredients are not approved in the United States for use in the
vaccines. Squalene is one example.

The Childhood Vaccine Safety Act of 1986 set up very clear safety
guidelines to include the following measures.
1. Provide written benefit and risk information to parents before giving
vaccines
2. Accurate written record of manufactures name and lot number must
be kept
3. Childs medical record must have this information recorded
4. Close monotoring after vaccinations and reporting of all serious
health problems that develop after vaccines and all adverse events
must be reported to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System
VAERS.

QUESTION: How are the schools going to insure that these safety rules
are followed? How are they going to comply with this act if they line
children up in schools like cattle and vaccinate them? Are parents going to
have the right to say NO?
There are reports across the country from people who have gotten the flu
shots in the past that they have had the worst flu ever!
There is compelling evidence that people who get 5 consecutive flu shots in
a 10 year period are 10X more likely to get alzheimers because of the
accumulation of aluminum and mercury. Hugh Fudenburg, Immunologist.

References:

Toronto Sun, Feb 27, 2009
http://www.newswithviews.com/Tenpenny/sherri6.htm

www.novaccine.com
Are Vaccines Safe? DVD, Mary Tocco

Assorted things of interest from the previous week.
It’s not nearly as controversial as the USPSTF’s breast cancer screening recommendations, but ACOG released a new practice bulletin on cervical cancer screening. The New York Times has coverage of the change, which is basically that women can wait until up to 21 years of age to start getting Pap tests, and then can get Paps every 2-3 years instead of every year once they’ve had a few normal tests. This is not entirely new – the USPSTF’s 2003 recommendations are very, very similar. (so, 6 years from now, we’ll be cool w/ the breast cancer recs?)

Some lots of Vick’s Sinex nasal spray are being recalled due to bacterial contamination.

The FDA has tips on holiday food safety.

Presented without comment: Highest Rates of Obesity, Diabetes in the South, Appalachia, and Some Tribal Lands [w/ the exception of a request to think about what that might mean in conjunction with the frequent framing of obesity as a moral failing of individuals]

SisterSong has posted a new issue of its Collective Voices newsletter [PDF]; this issue has a reproductive justice theme. You can follow SisterSong on Twitter.

The Kaiser Family Foundation issued a brief on how health reform might affect health disparities experienced by racial/ethnic minorities.

Nov 20 was the Transgender Day of Remembrance, set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. Learn more here, and see the any of a number of blog posts observing the day.

The Voices Against Violence Zine is “A small zine-diy style, with work from people of color, indigenous folks, trans people & queer survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence and sexual assault. Included topics can be: healing from trauma, transformative words used as a healing mechanism, enabling healing, life after trauma, self-help guides/resources, self-healing, dancing as means to healing, healing through narration, forgiveness (do we need it?), & collective trauma.” It will be accepting submissions for the next issue through Nov 30. Learn more at Hermana, Resist.

The 60th Disability Blog Carnival has been posted at FWD/Forward.

The CDC updated their 2009 H1N1 Flu Information for People with Disabilities and Their Caregivers or Personal Assistants.

Renee at Womanist Musings talks about people making class assumptions about her based on her scooter use.

Good for them: the Ames Public Library in Iowa carries Sex, Etc. magazine, which is written by teens for teens to provide accurate sex education information. There was a petition to have it removed from the library. It’s going to stay. I have a librarian happy.