Mission:

Affirming human dignity and developing just and caring communities for vulnerable children, families at risk, and people in crisis.

Vision:

Project HOPE (Help Out of Poverty ForEver) is a new initiative from Catholic Charities to combat poverty in Central and Northern Arizona.  Project HOPE assists motivated individuals to realize their goals and to leave behind a life of uncertainty for a life of security, stability, and satisfaction.  The program consists of 4 sessions of financial literacy classes, 14 sessions of Getting Ahead classes, followed by acceptance into a Circle of Support, whose members accompany the individual as he/she develops then pursues his/her Dream Plan.

Volunteer Opportunities Available:

Project HOPE has volunteer opportunities for trainers to teach a series of financial education classes to adults, teens, and children; trainers to teach a series of 14  “Getting Ahead” classes based on Dr. Ruby Pane’s ideas ; “Circles of Support” mentors to our participants based on their individual needs; childcare volunteers; and volunteers to help prepare and cater meals  for our weekly classes. 

Geographic Region:

Flagstaff

Volunteer Requirements:

• Volunteers must provide their own transportation.
• Volunteers assisting with childcare and teaching classes for teens and children are required to have fingerprint clearance, which Catholic Charities will pay for.
• Volunteers must be 18 or older.
• Bilingual/multilingual volunteers always needed!

Contact Information:

Catholic Charities Project HOPE

Deborah McMurtrey, Volunteer Coordinator

460 N. Switzer Canyon Drive, Suite 400

Flagstaff, AZ 86001

928-774-9125, ext. 53117

dmcmurtrey@cc-az.org

Today a house in my neighborhood was used as a live test for local fire crews. It is not often (as in never) that you know when a house is going to burn, and can enjoy the destruction in a guilt-free way.

The Highlands Fire District has been planing this since July and went to extraordinary measures to make this a useful and safe event (from road closures, asbestos removal, weakening the roof so it would cave in on itself, berming and other changes to the property to contain the fire, to removing feral cats and much more).

I was lucky enough to be on site with my camera and got the scoop about what was going on from Chief Pond.

Two things struck me about this: how fast the house went–once the fire was fully engaged it was down in less than half an hour; and I didn’t get closer than 40 yards, but the amount of heat it was putting off was tremendous.

Kudos to the crews and planning, it all went off without a hitch and we had quite the show.

Below are a few pictures of the event. I have also setup a full gallery with lots more images

View the full gallery

[Update]

See other coverage here.

Like a fool I got up in the middle of last night and drove out to Lake Mary to watch the Leonids. I have to say, nature could have gone to a bit more effort – they weren’t at their best. Nevertheless I saw 37 meteors in two hours, although at least five of these weren’t Leonids because they came from a wildly different direction, were much slower and had longer tracks. The Leonids themselves were short, sharp and tended to have a blue-green ionization track, but I’ve seen far brighter and better meteors.

The stars however were stunning! I could have read a book by starlight on this wonderful moonless night. Nowhere in the US could have had better viewing conditions than Flagstaff. I could see quite a few nebulae and clusters with the naked eye, and the Orion nebula had a distinct mauve tint.

The Milky Way looking towards Flagstaff

Only three meteors were kind enough to step in front of my camera – this was the best of the three (the other two I didn’t even see with the naked eye):

All the good ones hid away from my lens!

In this animated GIF you should be able to see a bit of space junk I captured by accident. I don’t think it was a satellite because it was very dim and wasn’t on a polar orbit. Each frame is a 30-second exposure, so it certainly wasn’t a meteor. The big blob bottom-left is Mars and the cluster above it I’m pretty sure is M44.

Floating junk or a small and oddly orbiting satellite

It was all very beautiful, but the air was 17 degrees below freezing and so when I started to lose my third toe to frostbite I decided to call it a night. By then it was about 3.30am, mountain time, and I bet you anything the best meteors were just waiting in the wings for me to turn my back!

37 meteors was pretty nice, and not far from the forecast frequency, although it wasn’t quite as good as the 1,000 or more per minute seen in 1833, which must have been stunning. It reminded me very much of the night my son was born. I’d gone to the hospital with Ann in the ambulance – blue flashing lights across the lonely hills to Chesterfield, about 10 miles from where we lived. After Chris had been born it was too late at night to find a taxi (even if I could have afforded one), so I had little choice but to hike home across the Pennines. Once I got to the last streetlight it was like walking into a black wall. I couldn’t see anything at all and had to feel my way with my feet for the next half hour. But by the time I was on top of the fells, the stars were on full form and a meteor shower guided me home as if I was in a scene from the Bible! A memorable night.

An aircraft heads for the Milky Way

                  Fall is my favorite season.  I don't think I could live without it!
                             The beauty captures my heart every year...
                            Here are a few favorite photos this season!

fall is foliage

photoshoot with Franklin





okay...last one of Franklin (for now!)  Frankie and Beanie both say "Go bucks!"  

O-H-I-O     go bucks!!

This was a beautiful backdrop for a wonderful occasion...
                                 the marriage of Heather and Jeff!






Sweet Cake-topper!

Welcome to the world!
                           Some sweet moments with a newborn and his family!









                   Here's to God's beauty, a new marriage, and wonderful families!
 

Sweet Little Sugarfoot!

San Diego, CA to Minneapolis, MN
November 14 – 15 & 21 – 22, 2009

Sweet little Sugarfoot was turned into the Pasadena Humane Society with a very mangled paw, which eventually required part of her foot to be amputated, hence her name. She was on the urgent list and her sweet face tugged at the heart of a rescuer 2,000 miles away. I went and pulled her so she would be safe, now we need to get her to Katie so that they can find her forever home!!

Who can say no to this face?

Please, please, please – I need crossposting help from EVERYONE!! Much of this is a new route for me!!

Transport Coordinator:
PLEASE CONTACT DIRECTLY IF YOU CAN HELP
Kelly Gibson
mdgrrrl@msn.com

Please provide the following:
Leg offered:
First & Last Name:
Location (city/state):
Please provide full address if volunteering for an overnight.
Email:
Is email available from home or only work?
Home phone:
Cell phone:
Vehicle make/model/color/etc:
Name of coordinators or groups for whom you’ve driven before. If none, please give vet name and contact number.
Recommended meeting place, if any:

Passenger details are at the bottom of the post.

SATURDAY, NOV 14

LEG 1: San Diego, CA to Yuma, AZ (I-8)
Time zone change, +1 hr
172 miles; 2 hr 40 min
7:00 AM – 9:40 AM PST
8:00 AM – 10:40 AM MST
Filled by sender (that’s me!)

LEG 2-a: Yuma, AZ to Gila Bend, AZ
117 miles; 1 hr 50 min
10:55 AM – 12:45 PM MST
Filled – thank you Cyndi!!

LEG 2-b: Gila Bend, AZ to Phoenix, AZ
77.4 miles; 1 hr 35 min
1:00 PM – 2:35 PM MST
Filled – thank you Andy & Penny!!

LEG 3: Phoenix, AZ to Cordes Junction, AZ(I-17)
66 miles; 1 hr 5 min
2:50 PM – 3:55 PM MST
Filled – thank you Maura!!

LEG 4: Cordes Junction, AZ to Flagstaff, AZ (I-17)
78.7 miles; 1 hr 7 min
3:55 PM – 5:00 PM MST
Filled – thank you Maura!!

LEG 5: Flagstaff, AZ to Sanders, AZ
143 miles; 2 hrs
5:15 PM – 7:15 PM MST
Filled – thank you Pat!!

LEG 6: Sanders, AZ to Albuquerque, NM (I-40)
182 miles; 2 hr 30 min
7:30 PM – 10:00 PM MST
Filled – thank you Amy!!

OVERNIGHT IN / AROUND ALBQ
Filled – thank you Brandy!!

SUNDAY, NOV 15

LEG 7: Albuquerque, NM to Tucumcari, NM
176 miles; 2 hrs 30 min
7:00 AM – 9:30 AM MST
Filled – thank you Diane & Laura!!

LEG 8: Tucumcari, NM to Amarillo, TX
Time zone change, +1 hr
114 miles; 1 hr 40 min
9:45 AM – 11:35 AM MST
10:45 AM – 12:35 PM CST
Filled – thank you Megan!!

LEG 9: Amarillo, TX to Elk City, OK
147 miles; 2 hr 12 min
12:50 PM – 3:00 PM CST
Filled – thank you Marjean!!

LEG 10: Elk City, OK to OK City, OK
117 miles; 1 hr 47 min
3:15 PM – 5:00 PM CST
Filled – thank you Marjean!!

ONE-WEEK LAYOVER IN / AROUND OK CITY
Filled – thank you Kelly!!

SATURDAY, NOV 21

LEG 11: OK City, OK to Perry, OK (I-35)
64.1 miles; 1 hr 5 min
8:00 AM – 9:05 AM CST
Filled – thank you Ethel!!

LEG 12: Perry, OK to Wichita, KS (I-35)
96.3 miles; 1 hr 30 min
9:20 AM – 10:50 AM CST
Filled – thank you Neil!!

LEG 13: Wichita, KS to Emporia, KS (I-35)
82.6 miles; 1 hr 15 min
10:55 AM – 12:10 PM CST
Filled – thank you Penny!!

LEG 14: Emporia, KS to Lawrence, KS (I-335 / 70)
73.9 miles; 1 hr 8 min
12:25 PM – 1:35 PM CST
Filled – thank you Annie!!

LEG 15: Lawrence, KS to St Joseph, MO (I-70 / 29)
77.2 miles; 1 hr 14 min
1:50 PM – 3:05 PM CST
Filled – thank you Annie!!

LEG 16: St Joseph, MO to Rock Port, MO (I-29)
62.7 miles; 1 hr
3:20 PM – 4:20 PM CST
Filled – thank you Charlene!!

LEG 17: Rock Port, MO to Omaha, NE (I-29)
63.5 miles; 1 hr
4:35 PM – 5:35 PM CST
Filled – thank you Charlene!!

OVERNIGHT IN / AROUND OMAHA
Filled – thank you Charlene!!

SUNDAY, NOV 22

LEG 18: Omaha, NE to Sioux City, IA (I-29)
96.7 miles; 1 hr 32 min
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM CST
Filled – thank you Charlene!!

LEG 19: Sioux City, IA to Sioux Falls, SD (I-29)
88.7 miles; 1 hr 27 min
9:45 AM – 11:15 AM CST
Filled – thank you Deanna!

LEG 20: Sioux Falls, SD to Jackson, MN (I-90)
91.2 miles; 1 hr 29 min
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM CST
Filled – thank you Pat!!

LEG 21: Jackson, MN to Albert Lea, MN (I-90)
86.6 miles; 1 hr 20 min
1:15 PM – 2:35 PM CST
Filled – thank you Laura!!

LEG 22: Albert Lea, MN to St Louis Park, MN (I-35)
96.2 miles; 1 hr 29 min
2:50 PM – 4:20 PM CST
Filled – thank you Laura!!

*************************************
PASSENGER DETAILS
NOTE: All dogs on the transport are UTD on shots and will be accompanied by a health certificate.
*************************************

RECEIVER:

Wags & Whiskers
Minneapolis, MN
http://www.wagsmn.com

SENDER:

Puggles & Pitties
San Diego, CA
http://pugglesnpitties.petfinder.com

PASSENGER:

SUGARFOOT

Sugarfoot

Female pit mix
6 – 7 months old, approx 30 lbs
UTD on all shots, dewormed, and already spayed
Very playful, loves belly rubs & ear scratches
Left ear is always either straight up or flopped over her head.
Had one toe and partial pad amputated from back left foot, no apparent complications

Some like it hot, but new research bolsters the evidence that cancer cells do not – at least in the diet.   It is well documented that people who eat a diet high in turmeric (the bright yellow spice found in most curry dishes from India) have a lower incidence of breast, prostate, lung and colon cancers.   Research with mice back in 2005 identified curcumin, as the component in turmeric with the cancer fighting properties.   It’s no wonder.  Cancer is an inflammatory disease and curcumin is a powerful anti-inflammatory with anti-tumor, anti-oxidant and anti-arthritic properties.

Curcumin has been and is currently being studied in the treatment of a number of diseases including cervical cancer, pancreatic cancer, malaria, HIV infection, Herpes simplex infection and Alzheimer’s disease.

The latest research out of Brittain shows curcumin’s effectiveness in killing cancer cells in the esophagus.  The study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, found that curcumin started to kill the cancer cells in as little as 24 hours after exposure and once the cancer cells were altered by the spice, they began to “digest themselves” according to a BBC News report.

Turmeric, the spice that contains curcumin, is a member of the ginger family and while being mild in flavor, can taste bitter.  This combined with turmeric’s connection with spicy Indian food can lead many Americans to avoid using it in cooking.   While there are commercially available curcumin supplements available, Dr. Andrew Weil recommends consuming the whole turmeric because of the potential synergy between all of the compounds found in the spice.   Dr. Weil recommends brewing the turmeric into a tea and drinking it cold and unsweetened.

While I certainly like ginger tea, I’ve never tried turmeric tea.  We do use it occasionally in cooking and we are always looking to more ways to use it in recipes.  So maybe some tea might be worth a try, especially now that there’s a fall chill in the air.

But either way, for improved cancer prevention, add a little spice to your diet.

- Paul Kulpinski, LMT

Sources:

BBC News

Dr. Weil.com

Wikipedia

Tucson Moonrise

The weather in Tucson is getting real nice, so come down and Discover Southern Arizona.

There are truly so many places to “discover” in Arizona, and Tucson is a great place to stay as your base.  Directly south of Tucson is the Santa Cruz Valley. To the southeast is Cochise County. Each is rich in history, art, culture, beauty, and great wine.

If you want to go north, then Casa Grande is minutes away, and great golf is not much further in Scottsdale and Fountain Hills.

Venture just an a little more than an hour north of Scottsdale, and explore Prescott, Sedona, and Flagstaff.

Arizona is so beautiful and diverse. So, think about coming out West this winter to DiscoverArizona.org.

Brandy’s Restaurant
Address: 1500 E Cedar Ave, Flagstaff, AZ 86004
Phone: (928) 779-2187
Website: www.brandysrestaurant.com
Known For: Breakfast
What I had: 2 Eggs Overeasy, Roasted Potatoes & Swedish Oat Pancake with Apple Cinnamon Sauce
Price: $5.40
Rating: 8.5 out of 10

I was very very happy with this place. After a bit of car trouble and longer than expected trip there was nothing more that I was looking forward to then a good meal and what I got was quite a delicious breakfast. For the whooping price of $5.40 how can you beat this? They offer a daily breakfast special of 2 eggs (any style), English Muffin and your choice of pancake or potatoes for $3.99. They were kind enough to replace the English Muffin with the pancake and for $.50 more I upgraded it to the Swedish Oat Pancake. This is exactly what I wanted and it hit the spot perfectly.

The eggs were cooked excellently, the potatoes were delicious (with a side of salsa, it is Arizona) and the Swedish Oat Pancake was superb. It was piping hot and had a nice “hearty” taste to it. The only minor issue I had was the apple cinnamon sauce seemed as if it was just bought at the supermarket. It wasn’t bad but it didn’t add to the meal, which in the case of how wonderful everything else was, actually detracted from it.

The waiter was amazingly accommodating, the service was quick, the place was spotless and everything was exactly how I’d asked for it. I requested Tabasco and he brought 3 varieties (Original, Habanero & Chipotle)! They also have a bakery with many good looking items. I would certainly recommend stopping in here for a nice warm breakfast that will start your day out right. Although they serve wonderful early morning food they also have a nice looking lunch and dinner menu (with items like Mahi Mahi, Southwest Chutney Melt and Curried Fish Cakes). The have a large wine and beer list too.

Eggs and Roasted Potatoes

Swedish Oat Pancake with Apple Cinnamon Sauce

Featured on Diners, Drive-ins & Dives:

Further reading:
www.yelp.com/biz/brandys-restaurant-flagstaff
www.urbanspoon.com/r/141/916020/restaurant/Brandys-Restaurant-Bakery-Flagstaff

Aug 31, 2009 @ 7:00

$64 © Pam Van Londen 2009, Grand Canyon 3, 8×8×1 on oil on claybord

Wouldn’t it be lovely to visit the Grand Canyon again to sit and paint, paint, paint? Some day I will.

Until then, I’ll practice making the distance via color.

If you know from which viewpoint I took this photo, please write me. I did not keep notes when we traveled there in 2005.

There’s been so much fear circulating around these days, from the economy to terrorism to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars that I’m feeling a bit overdosed with it. Now comes Halloween, one of those holidays that strikes fear into the hearts of most parents as their little one’s go out into the night taking candy from strangers! Well, let’s put this into perspective and see what there really is to fear this Halloween.

First, I hope that most of your neighbors are not strangers. I hope that you at least know their names and could recognize them at the grocery store. If not you have something to be concerned about not only at Halloween, but also on the other 364 days of the year. If this is the case for you, start by getting to know your neighbors.

Many parents today were trick-or-treaters themselves during the 70’s and early 80’s during the candy tampering scare that panicked the country. As a result, many of today’s parents believe that this is still something to fear. The reality is that there has never been a case of a child becoming ill or dying from tampered candy obtained during trick-or-treating at Halloween – or any other holiday for that matter. So what started the candy scare in the 70’s? While the exact origin is uncertain, there seems to be a watershed event that happened in Pasadena, Texas in 1974. A father, who recently had taken out a life insurance policy on his 8-year-old son, put a cyanide laced Pixy Stix in his son’s candy bag.  The boy died and the father was quickly caught, tried and in 1984, executed for murder.  If you’d like a complete history of the candy scare, read more about it in this Wikipedia article.

Another Halloween fear stems from the perception that child molesters are more likely to use trick-or-treating as a lure for unsuspecting children.   While this seems plausible, the truth is that there is no increase in sex crimes around Halloween.  In fact, sex crimes against children are at their highest during the summer months.  Researchers at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida studied crime statistics over a 9 year period found that the number of sexual related crimes against children remained unchanged  during the Halloween season.

The real reason to fear Halloween is in the increase of auto accidents with pedestrians.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of child aged pedestrian deaths increases four times on Halloween compared to the same time period (4pm – 10pm) on any other day of the year.   The reasons for this according to the CDC includes the small physical size of children making them difficult to see, compounded with dark costumes that further decrease their visibility.  Additionally, children trick-or-treating during Halloween will tend to cross streets at the shortest route rather than at the safest route.  Likewise, the costume itself can reduce a child’s peripheral vision making hazards like moving vehicles unnoticeable – not to mention uneven walking surfaces that might cause a stumble and fall.  Finally, Halloween can invoke a kind of “magical thinking” that can create feelings of protection and invincibility that can cloud decision-making.

So to be safe this Halloween, make sure your younger children are supervised by an adult during their outings.  For your older trick-or-treaters, make sure they have flashlights, review traffic safety rules and your expectations of their behavior.  Ensure that there are not potential costume problems like long drapes that might cause them to trip, or masks that block their vision while walking.    Finally, let them be scary.  Research has shown that when children are able to pretend to be scary, they can develop an improved sense of confidence in confronting their own fears during the rest of the year.

Maybe some of us adults could use a little of that confidence for ourselves this Halloween.   I’m thinking I’ll dress up as Frankenstein this year.  How about you?

- Paul Kulpinski, LMT

Sources:

Wikipedia

Halloween Safety Myths

Free-Range Kids

The Palm Beach Post

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Photo of a home just north of Flagstaff Arizona.

The train journey from New Orleans to Flagstaff, Arizona, proved to be one of the most interesting times of my US trip. The journey took three days via LA and was mainly interesting because my normally lacklustre love life came back from the dead in the form of a Taiwanese lady called Ya-Hui. It all began innocently enough when she shared a box of goldfish crackers and I offered to share my blanket, which is now forever known as ‘Blanky the lucky blanket’. She changed all her travel plans and we went to the Grand Canyon and LA. I include this mainly to explain the change from I to we in the writing.

The train trip would have been dull otherwise, passing through the huge emptiness of Texas, if it had not been for the snogging sessions and a little kid called Robert. Robert was two and his vocabulary was greater by one if you didn’t count strange noises. Despite knowing more than one word, if I hadn’t sat next to Robert for the best part of two days I would have thought that he could only say mama. A typical conversation with his mother would carry out like so: - Mama…mama…mama…
- What?
- Mama…mama…mama…
- What?
- Mama…
- What?
- Mama…
- WHAT!?
- Mama…
- What do you want, Robert?
- Mama…
This carried on for most of his waking hours till his mother looked more dead than alive. On the morning after the second night on the train a man came up to Robert and said “If you say mama one more time I’m going to tie your tongue in a knot.”

We arrived in Flagstaff at six in the morning with it cold enough to see your breath. The advantage of travelling with someone else is the private room option at hostels which makes the stay much more comfortable. Flagstaff is part college town, part hippy oasis. It’s a centre for the alternative people trying to drop out and get back to nature while still being able to buy a good pizza. There is not much of interest culturally but most people come to Flagstaff because it’s the closest big town to the Grand Canyon, which was our ultimate destination.

The bus up to the canyon was besieged by road works which added about two hours onto the journey. The road travels through scrubby desert country until you get within range of the canyon when suddenly the most crap looking hotels and themed restaurants spring up, the lowlight being the Fred Flintstone Campground. Thankfully the Americans get all the bad taste out of their system before the canyon itself which has a little village on the south rim but has been left remarkably obstruction free. In fact, there is such a lack of fencing that they get an average of 14 deaths there per year, six having occurred at the time of our visit. ‘It’s hard to prepare for the canyon. Unlike mountains which are easily spotted from miles away, you have to be right in front of the Grand Canyon to get the proper effect. It is everything you imagine it to be and more. The vastness of the scale is almost too difficult to fit inside your head. If you do good deeds in this life I firmly believe that you get reincarnated as an eagle at the Grand Canyon hunting squirrels all day. It was a good place to share with someone.

Dave out.

Scenes from the southside of the tracks

Flagstaff, Ariz.
The air was crisp and thinner at this elevation, it smelled of pine and the hint adolescent pheromones evaporating; I felt at ease and without the hinder of occupational duty. This was the prerequisite to Flagstaff. But that nostalgia would soon come to end, and pave the path to another kind of nostalgia, a sister shadow to the heir of ease.
Someone hollered ,”Lie to me!” and with that the crowd of intoxicated conservative argument and whisper had been silenced with the bell toll of steel and refuse splashing into the lamp lit asphalt landing, it was received with a round of roulette laughter. The hollering, blanket shadow shape would then emerge from the a doorway with a placard placed above the top trim that read “The Joint.”
A girl of about sixteen ran past the bulging bully holding the door open. She adorned only what some would understand to be a birthday suite and a shoal covering her hardening nipples. “You two owe me over fifty-dollars, so where’s the money!?” said the high heeled brunette.
“Jen? What are you talking about, we went to school together, and now you’re asking for half a bill for four minutes of dance, and forty seconds of that I actually saw your breasts. No I disagree.” said one of the grounded and asphalt stained, he looked from the distance to be native to these parts.
“You want me to stomp these excrements Jen?” addressed the balding bouncer.
“I’ll kill you Danae.” she unsheathed a blade and ran into the street allowing her bosoms to touch the dark and ambient of the pine scented atmosphere as the shoal slipped past her shoulders and into the street.
The group outside of Club 111 was not used to this display of aggression and was now transfixed on the play directly across their neighbor venue. The beats of the F-Holes still pounded out the doors now ajar without a miss of a stick to snare. The police were in plain sight now, with their blue and red lights revolving like a snake ready to strike, just across the other sides of the track behind a bullet constrictor train, and blinking cross lights preventing auto’s from preceding across.
Then a red jeep stops in the middle of all of this, and it’s Dave Ott, my ride. He looks into the street and the eighty-sixed and then into the crowd of black, chained and phosphorescent. “Nate? Danae? Russ? Get in stupid’s‘, let‘s go.”
We were now holding onto all sides of the vehicle as it blasted and bounced down debris trodden back alleys with a striptease chasing behind screaming ,“what is she on– what is she on!!!” I fell to the ground and was now being pursued by a barefoot breast full. By two full street blocks I had caught up with Jeep and thrust myself upon the hood. I believe that my suite had finally been broken for good and my Jerry Garcia tie was missing too.
***
“Where am I? Who is that woman with long, flowing, sparkling red hair? She was wearing a luminous white sun dress, where did she run off to?” I tried to adjust my body into a vertical right angle, but found it to be somewhat paralyzed and thus painful to do so. I let out a yelp.
“Try not to move so much, you lost some blood, some time ago. Nate, you need some rest.” It was her again, she was a radiating with luminous rays, that seemed to be almost transparent and phosphorous red. And then I coughed up…

"The Ghost" Photography by JGB

***
“ I think he’s waking up. Hey Nate…is that his name.” I think that I was in the middle of a cave of some concoction, and a herd of a chapter of the beard club for men were conjoined in a rhythmic ritual, little red riding hood was there too, but there was no sign of the celestial red head. I heard myself speaking as if I were being operated by my puppeteer, my mouth opened and these words came out, “flowing red hair, blooming white sun dress.”
“You saw her too, she’s a ghost of this building you know,” said a silver back character as he paralleled my face and backed out from view. Ott came out of a doorway and with a widening glare. “Nate, I can’t believe your alive,” chuckled Ott ,”you jumped into the windshield, and then you ran away, and then we saw you in the middle Beaver Street flipped over on a bicycle. Your pants were caught up in the cassette and chain, Danae had cut them off and we left the bike there, you look like you turned into the Hulk.”
I asked Ott what was going on and where were we and he had stated that he did not know, he said we were at the Fed’s in downtown and should be leaving as soon as we could find Danae and Russ. I snapped my neck, ”Dave? Did all of that stripper stuff really happen then?”
“Yeah, that’s a funny story, look there they are, now we can get to Devils Hole,” Ott gathered his motley crew and we were soon off and had ascended to the summit of the Hole. We were now passing the pipe and disseminating just what had transpired on that street between Club 111 and The Joint, as we eluded our police patrol.
“They stamped our hand, making us a leper to society, a pervert with a hard on walking down the street,” Chuckled Danae spilling smoke out his nose. Ott’s alleged roommate Russ was deliberating why the pair had been removed from the establishment.
[“The worst strip club in Ariz. , Two of the girls there went to high school with Danae…What their names Jennifer and Mary”] said Russ.
Danae, assault victim from the street scene noted, “ It was at the point when I asked Jen or Blaze to give Russ and me a dance simultaneously that management began looking our way, with us well past our two drink minimum…she said that we looked liked creeps with our sunglasses on.”
Russ explained that she gave the duo a dance immediately after they had removed the their shades, thus exchanging in the ritual with his left hand conjoined to Danae’s right just to discomfort the dancer furthermore.
“I covered my hands over my eye’s and screamed no more, unless you at least strip, since none other girls have stripped what would be the harm in doing that in a strip club- Lets see how much you have grown up,” said Danae of the experience.
Russ claimed that her friend Mary had come out on stage and collapsed before she had hit the pole and began to regurgitate half digested pill encasings. He went on to notice her approach the pack and mummer,” Jen what’s going on, where am I…hey you’re a cute boy.” Russ then claimed that she reached into his pockets in an attempt to lift away with some of his soft cash.
“ The bouncers rushed us as if to tackle us, and they broke three off the chairs and knocked the girls over, and then Mary put something in her mouth and began to seizure,” said Danae. He noted that they made it to the door to the open bar on the other side of the building. He told me that he heard a girl shriek “she’s dead,” before the bullies had caught up to them, thus rolling them out the door and into the street.
Ott chimed in for his turn to debate, “ No, what about the crazy homeless guy with the flower in his hat screaming at Nate, that was crazy.” Ott had explained that he was on the opposite side of the street marching back and forth yelling at the quartet, “Rambo! Come back here sister, come back here with my bike! My flowers! Where do you think I got this!” Ott further noted that the flower hat man held aloft his arm which had been wrapped in a cast and roared,” I got this in Vietnam!…I mean Iraq!”
At this time Danae interjected,” I know, and then he started harassing the two Neo-mite’s wearing the burlap potato bags.”
Since all but I had recited our strange turn of misfortunes, I explained how I had a dreamt of a strange woman with silky, shinning long red hair and the radiating white sun dress. I recalled the old man in the cellar telling me of her apparition spirit haunting that strange house earlier in the evening, and then stated that it was quite unusual to see that one in a dream.
“What! Long red hair and a white sundress,” Danae cracked,” That’s the exactly how Mary dressed, and looked like tonight!”-JGB

October is widely associated not only with the orange of Halloween, but also the pink of National Breast Cancer Awareness.    National Breast Cancer Awareness Month was first founded in 1985 by the international pharmaceutical company AstraZenica, the manufacturer of breast cancer drugs Arimidex and Tamoxifen, to promote mammography  as the most effective weapon in the fight against breast cancer.    Over the past 25 years the breast cancer awareness movement has gained support from such influential groups as the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in promoting annual mammograms for all women over the age of 40.

A new analysis, published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, is sure to bolster the critics of this shotgun screening for all approach marketed through National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.   In the analysis, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco and the University of Texas, San Antonio found that after 20 years of breast and prostate cancer screening, there has been a 40% increase in diagnoses of these cancers, but only a 10% reduction in the effective treatment of the late-stage cancers of the breast and prostate that are most often fatal.   The researchers point out that if the screenings were being effective, there should be a corresponding decrease in the percentage of deaths, but that’s not what their finding show.

The analysis points to the fact that the increase in the number of diagnosed cases of breast and prostate cancers are tumors that would never had spread or caused significant health risks if left untreated.  The ensuing attention on these inocuous tumors, researchers say, siphons off attention and resources needed to treat the faster growing and deadly tumors that are not being impacted by our current thinking in breast and prostate cancer treatment.

The publishing of these findings, according to the New York Times, is causing the American Cancer Society to rethink its position and recommendations about breast cancer screening.   In the October 20, 2009 Times article, Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer for the cancer society says, “I’m admitting that American medicine has overpromised when it comes to screening.  The advantages to screening have been exaggerated.”

Yet, until this new position on breast cancer screening is published – sometime early next year – the current literature and promotion on the ACS website still advocates for annual mammograms for all women over the age of 40.

In regards to prostate cancer screening, both the American Cancer Society and the Prostate Cancer Foundation have dropped their recommendation for screening of all men for some time now.  The Prostate Cancer Foundation says on its website:  “Because a decision of whether to be screened for prostate cancer is a personal decision, it’s important that each man talk with his doctor about whether prostate cancer screening is right for him.”

In light of this new report, this advice now seems appropriate for the ladies as well.

- Paul Kulpinski, LMT

Sources:

Journal of the American Medical Association

The New York Times

San Jose Mercury News

Health Beat

Breast Cancer Action

Prostate Cancer Foundation

American Cancer Society

Breast Cancer Advocate

Denver, Colorado

Glenwood Springs

Okay, so I know there’s been no running update…and I’m sorry about that.  Truth is, with the weather and my extreme complacency, there hasn’t been a whole lot of running.  I promise one for next week and even if I have to run 10 or 20 miles on the weekends from now til December 3, I will make this goal.

I saw an ad for the movie Paranormal which said that USA TODAY calls it, and I quote, a movie that “will effectively terrorize even the toughest among you.”  Now, tell me Intertubes…are you not effectively terrorized enough in daily life without resorting to being scared shitless Aside: to use the local vernacular during your entertainment?  What is the desire to be frightened that people find so exciting?  I don’t get it.  I remember watching a made-for-TV film “The Fall of the House of Usher” in 1982.  I didn’t sleep well again until 1984.  Ask my mother.  There are times when I go down to the basement and still look around the corner for Madeline with blood dripping from her eyes.

If you’re not watching Glee, then you’re missing one of the best shows on television.  It has great music, great drama, and a great performance from Jane Lynch who, honestly, makes me squirm with every role she takes on.  She’s great at making you uncomfortable.  Also, cheers to Heather Elizabeth Morris who plays Brittany and is in my opinion one of the better dancers on the show, though her screen time is limited.  If you liked Fame, you’ll love Glee.  If you don’t remember Fame, well…shut up, I’m not old.

The rain has been never-ending here in the Bluegrass State.  We’re probably well over the recommended monthly allowance already.  I base this assumption on the fact that I saw our resident albino squirrel wearing a life vest this morning.  I would’ve sworn that they moved the Ohio River to flow down our street, but satellite photos assure me that this is not the case.  One of these days we’ll dry out, provided it doesn’t just ice over all together soon.  Highs in the mid-40s will do that to you.

Other than that…the baby’s good, C. is good, I haven’t been the best mentally lately, but some of you will question how I can tell the difference Aside: Har de har har har! For pictures of Ivy, click on the Flickr badge to the right. Congratulations to my brother-in-law, J., who was named one of the Top 5 “Hot Now” Artists by The Culture Club in Flagstaff.  And, that’s all the news…

See you in the funny papers!

True to my nature I got tired of shopping and jumped in with both eyes closed.  This may not have been the best time, or even perhaps the best choice for a trailer, but at the time it seemed like the right thing to do.

I found a light weight 5th wheel trailer that my husband said our truck would have no problem towing.  It was quite a search, because only having a 1/2 ton pick up truck our options were very limited when it comes to towing capacity.  Unfortunately we we never able to put the truck to the test because of suspension problems and the camper is now currently sitting at the dealership in SC where we purchased it.  You can see the offending truck in the picture.

  The dealership towed it over to an ocean front site while they were installing the hitch in the truck.  When they brought the truck to the campground and hitched the trailer up the truck immediately bottomed out.  Luckily we were able to enjoy a few days of beautiful weather next to a beautiful beach.

The trailer is in fairly good condition for a 2004 model needing mostly cosmetic fixes.  Read that as ugly upholstery.  One quick change I did make while we were there was to replace what looked like the original shower curtain from 2004. (complete with years of crud).  YUK!  Next I plan to get rid of the cheap mirror in the bathroom.  Who really wants to look at themselves when they are peeing?  Or perhaps men do enjoy that.  There are plenty of other mirrors so that one can go. My husband is putting airbags on the truck to beef up the suspension and we are planning on taking the drive sown to SC next month to hopefully bring the beast home.

The current buzz in the media and around the water cooler is about the upcoming flu season, especially the H1N1 strain of influenza – or the “Swine Flu”.   While the main focus of the discussion centers around getting immunized, there are some simple habits around good personal hygiene that are key to keeping the spread of virus in check.

First it’s important to remember that viruses, like all flu strains, are transmitted in airborne water particles usually launched by a cough or a sneeze from the person with the infection.  Being in the vicinity of that cough or sneeze, you might inhale those water particles, or get some on your clothing or hands then touch your mouth, nose or eyes.  Any of which will easily accept the water particle carrying the virus.  Now, let’s get real.  “Water Particles” is a nice way of saying mucus or saliva.  That’s what you’re really breathing in or putting into your mouth from the other person, along with that flu virus.  Yuck!

You don’t even need to be all that close to the person sneezing or coughing.  The sneeze or cough can launch those mucus particles several feet and many of the micro-droplets will stay airborne for some time.   Typically, these droplets are so fine that we don’t even see them, so we don’t have an awareness of their impact, until it’s too late and we’ve come down with the flu.  Here’s a good video to explain an experiment by Ruth Carrico of the University of Louisville, designed to teach health care workers about the impact of a cough or sneeze from a patient.  Watch it here.

The first thing that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends is to stay home when you are sick to avoid spreading the virus.  Secondly, they teach the practice of “covering your cough”.   This is done by covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue.  If a tissue is not available, they recommend using the crook of your arm (elbow) to block the cough or sneeze.  This is different from when we were taught to cover your cough with your hand.  The reason is (and the video shows this clearly) that all of the mucus particles and the virus are now on your hands when you cover your sneeze with your hand.  When you then touch something, like a doorknob, a computer keyboard, or someone’s hand in a handshake, you’ve just transmitted that virus.  You are less likely to transmit the mucus droplets via your elbow.  Finally, if you do use a tissue, throw it away.  Don’t reuse it.  Then wash your hands.  More on that later.

For those of us who use a handkerchief, while the CDC doesn’t specifically address them, handkerchiefs are reused through out the day and are more likely to spread virus as those moisture laiden “snot rags” are fermenting away in your pocket.   While I always carry one, it’s probably a better idea to use a disposable tissue during flu season.

The CDC also recommends washing your hands regularly during the day, especially after coughing or sneezing, after using the restroom, before preparing and/or eating food, the list goes on.  The see the complete list, click here. When washing your hands, use warm water to wet your hands.  Then lather with soap and rub all of the surfaces of your hands:  the palms, back of your hands, and especially the fingernails.  Continue rubbing for at least 20 seconds.  Then rinse with warm water and dry your hands with a paper towel.

If soap and water are not available, the CDC recommends using an alcohol based hand sanitizer by applying it to one hand then rubbing both hands together covering the surfaces of both hands and fingers with the product.  Continue rubbing until your hands are dry.

Finally, keep your immune system supported with plenty of sleep, regular physical exercise, nutritious foods, plenty of water and manage your stress with regular massage therapy, meditation, yoga or tai chi.

Sure go ahead and get the flu shot, but you’ll still need to practice these simple personal hygiene techniques to keep yourself and those around you protected.

Sources:

CDC:  Seasonal Influenza

CDC:  Clean Hands Saves Lives

How Far Can A Cough Spread Germs?

University of Louisville Cough Simulation Video

Discovery Channel News:  Coughing Robot Spews Flu Germs

Dear All,

So it’s been a while since I’ve last recorded a journal to all my friends and family who are reading this right now.  Thank you again for all of the support.  There has been some negative reactions to journal entries which I find quite amusing being as how I’ve never disrespected and or said anything negative about anyone ever.  That is not me and GOD and those who know me know that I would never do something like that.  Just to set the record straight.  However it seems people are trying to bad mouth me but God will deal with you all.  For whom God Bless, No Man and there words can curse.  I thank you LORD for BLESSING ME and continuously using me to reach out to others and be a testimony in more than one way.

However that is the last I will speak on that matter.. Moving up and Moving on in Faith… So it’s Time to update.

So this summer I went on to win my National Championships and competed at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Havana, Cuba where I placed 5th.  I called it a short season in order to collect myself and properly heal and mentally get myself back on track.  I enjoyed many beautiful areas of Jamaica and spent a lot of quality time with my family.  Lastly I came back to the U.S and prepared myself for a journey physically by myself across the nation.  Packing up all my stuff in Boston which was my home for 8 years and driving a big moving truck down to New Jersey.  Then packing up the good old Focus with whatever could hold and myself and started my trip across the nation.  I was fortunate to have known someone in all the states that I drove through so could break the trip up.

I have made the ultimate sacrifice to move from the suburbs/city to an area up in the mountains what I use to say was the middle of nowhere that is going to lead me somewhere.

So as of September 8th I was officially moved in Flagstaff, Arizona where I started training with Mohamad Saatara.  Everything is going great and I am excited to “elevate my game as the slogan for this area states”  Flagstaff is 7000 feet above sea level and it took me quite a while to get acclimated to the elevation.  But I am glad that things are progressing as they should.  Mo has been very positive and has created some great workouts that are Kicking my butt.  The environment is so open, so fresh and so clean.  Even though it seems to be a very quiet, not very diverse area it provides a serene, peaceful environment that has me focused in a whole new way.

One of my favorite chapters in the bible is Psalms 121 (I will look up into the hills from whence cometh my strengths, My strength cometh from the Lord)  God has brought me into the hill as I’m in the middle of the mountains and see them whenever I throw, do drills, run, etc.   Something good is going to happen and I thank God for all of his blessings ;o)

As I end this journal I want to share a new motto  “Live Free or Die”  I’ve adopted it and it’s straight from New Hampshire.  We have nothing to lose in life and instead of reflecting on negatives all you can do and should do is focus on positives.  Dream to achieve and never give up hope for at the end of the day there is no sense in worrying and praying so just leave it all to God keep “Moving in Faith.”

Until next time…

Stay Blessed,

Zara

Jamaica has some beautiful places to visit and animals to see (Dolphins Cove)

Yes that is a 200lb 8 foot long Shark in my lap ;o)

Mission:

To Promote the elimination of hunger through the gathering and distribution of food while encouraging self-sufficiency through education and advocacy.

Vision:

A hunger free Arizona.

Volunteer Opportunities Available:

• Pack, sort, and re-pack food boxes, bulk food, or food from food drives. Volunteers work on assembly line.
• Help with client services, client intake, loading client boxes and filling client orders.
• Administrative duties such as filing, data entry, opening mail, and answering phones.

Geographic Regions Served:

Phoenix, Glendale, Surprise, Flagstaff

Volunteer Requirements:

Volunteers are required to have their own transportation to and from the site. Food handlers cards are only required for Kids Cafe volunteers (please contact agency for information on this opportunity). Volunteers age 12 and older are welcome. Minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, but minors 16 and older can be unaccompanied if volunteering for school. There is no maximum age; SMFBA’s oldest volunteer is 96! Bilingual is always a plus, but never a requirement.

Contact Information:

St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance

2831 N. 31st Avenue

Phoenix, AZ 85009

Irma Leyendecker, Director of Volunteer Services

602-242-3663

volunteerservices@firstfoodbank.org

www.firstfoodbank.org

Physical Requirements:

Warehouse positions require the ability to stand, lift at least 25 pounds at one time, bend, twist, and use hands and arms for work. Light duty and office positions are available for volunteers who do not meet warehouse requirements.

The Milken Institute Best Performing Cities Index ranks U.S. metropolitan areas by how well they are creating and sustaining jobs and economic growth.  The components include job, wage and salary, and technology growth.  How did the Arizona communities (MSAs) of Flagstaff, Phoenix, Prescott, Tucson, and Yuma perform?  Results here.