Finally!

Hey there everyone!

At the beginning of the term I was convinced that blogging would get the better of me.  I finally figured out how to make it work and enjoyed sharing me with some of you.  I hope that you also learned some new words in the process!

As far as the class goes, I had a great term.  I enjoy writing and this class was a continuation of high school where I earned several awards for my writing.  And I finished writing my book so if you ever see a book called 'Chigamba' that's me!  Thank you all for your comments on the DB and good luck in your endeavors!

ASPARTAME aka Nutrasweet & Equal

Some interesting facts and findings about ASPARTAME that might interest you :)

ASPARTAME –Facts & Findings about Equal and Nutrasweet

Aspartame is defined as, “An artificial sweetener synthesized from two amino acids, aspartic acid and phenylalanine. It is 180 times sweeter than sugar. It is unsuitable for cooking because the flavor is changed when heated. Trade names are Equal and Nutrasweet.” Phenylalanine is “An essential amino acid formed from protein.” Persons with phenylketonuria (PKU) should not use aspartame. Phenylketonuria (PKU) is “A phenylpyruvic acid in the urine. A recessive hereditary disease caused by the body’s failure to oxidize phenylalanine to tyrosine, because of a defective enzyme. If the disease is not treated early, brain damage may occur, causing severe mental retardation” (Taber’s Cyclopedic, 1985).

Amino acids are, “…the building blocks of which proteins are constructed and are the end product of protein digestion or hydrolysis” in the body (Taber’s Cyclopedic, 1985). Essential amino acids are necessary for the digestion of proteins in the body. Nutrasweet and Equal are a combination of aspartic acid and phenylalanine, and thus can be considered as essential to digestion. However, these artificial sweeteners have been found to contain excitotoxins that can cause many complications that can be fatal. “Excitotoxins are molecules, such as MSG and aspartate, that act as excitatory neurotransmitters, and can lead to neurotoxicity when used in excess” Excitotoxins can mimic disease such as fibromyalgia, lupus, diabetes, ADD, and chronic fatigue and depression when used with aspartame (Aspartame, (2010). Excitotoxins can also affect diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s – degenerative neurotransmitter diseases – ALS, and Huntington’s chorea (Pharmacother, A. et al 2001). A review of the book by Dr. Russell L. Blaylock, Excitotoxins – The Taste That Kills, Lawrence R. Huntoon, MD, PhD. States, “Dr. Blaylock defines excitotoxins as “a group of excitatory amino acids that can cause sensitive neurons to die." The most common ones are glutamate, aspartate, and cysteine.

In neuro-degenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Huntington's chorea, ALS, are especially vulnerable and at risk due to toxic effects of MSG and aspartame. This is because use of aspartame and MSG causes a breakage in the blood brain barrier (BBB). Stroke victims may also be susceptible to the effects of aspartame due to a disruption of the BBB. Hypoglycemia and hypoxia, which need the protection of cell transport mechanisms, are also affected. BBB is “A physiological mechanism that alters the permeability of brain capillaries, so that some substances, such as certain drugs, are prevented from entering brain tissue, while other substances are allowed to enter freely (Blood brain barrier, 2010). The brain has an innate ability to balance nerve damage as well as cell loss. The BBB mechanism does not allow the MSG and aspartate to enter brain cells and cause the neurons to fire abnormally resulting in cell death. However, the BBB is limited in the face of high levels of MSG and aspartate and brain cells die. This is because these high-level toxins bypass the BBB, causing in cell death. The BBB is ineffective prior to birth so that if MSG is allowed to enter the brain, the BBB is compromised. Also, after birth the BBB may not have reached full development.

Aspartame may also be blamed for memory disruption, including short-term memory loss, brain tumors caused by such things as use of aspartame and cell phones (MedScape Today (1994-2010), among others. Lymphoma and leukemia, weight gain (Lavin, J. H. et al, (1997), as well as hypoglycemia, hypoxia, migraines, seizures, endocrine disorders, and types of obesity (Dr. Russell L. Blaylock, MD, (1994) are often effects of use of aspartame. Aspartame has been reported to result in headaches, memory loss, seizures, vision loss, coma, and cancer.

New research has found that use of aspartame found in most diet drinks, might affect brain function, specifically a disruption in short-term memory loss. Studies have been ongoing since the early 1980s.Timothy M. Barth, Ph. D., a psychology professor at Texas Christian University, does not agree, and states in his study of 90 students participating in a lab study, that students who regularly drank diet soda performed equally in laboratory tests. However, it was also found that people who regularly use aspartame reported lapses in long-term memory, such as forgetting personal details of daily routines or in completing tasks in more instances than those who did not use aspartame. This was most likely due to participants reporting memory problems that were inconsistent to the types of memory loss in laboratory studies. Dr. Barth reiterates further that the untested effects of long-term use of aspartame may still need to be carried out before choosing to refrain from drinking diet soda.

                An 8-year study conducted at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center reported as much as a 41% increase in the risk factor of weight gain for every diet soda consumed per day. The study concluded, “that females with eating restraint had a higher Calorie intake subsequent to aspartame intake as opposed to sugar or water intake” (Lavin, J. H., French, S. J., Read, N. W., (1997).

                Processed supermarket foods, especially diet food or frozen foods, often contain from 2-4 types of excitotoxins. The sweet taste of sugar makes our brains release endorphins “any of a group of endogenous peptides (enkephalin) found especially in the brain that bind chiefly to opiate receptors and produce some pharmacological effects (as pain relief) like those of opiates”(Merriam-Webster Online), or pleasure hormones. Sugar provides energy, something the body needs, and aspartame has no calories and therefore no energy. Mixed messages to the brain only makes the body crave more sugar to replenish energy. It becomes a vicious circle resulting in weight gain in some people.

                Personal experience has demonstrated that discontinuing the use of aspartame and MSG by at risk persons has resulted in amazing improvements in the symptoms of some of the diseases detailed in this discourse.  Benefits can be gained by using more natural ways to sweeten our lives.

References:

Academy of Wellness, (2010). Excitotoxins, 1, Retrieved from www.academyofwellness.com/excitotoxins.htm

Aspartame, (2010). 1, retrieved from www.HealthHound.org/Aspartame

Blood brain barrier, (2010).1, Retrieved from www.answers.com

Dr. Russell L. Blaylock, MD, (1994). Excitotoxins – The Taste That Kills, Santa Fe, NM:Health Press.

Retrieved from Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills

Lavin, J. H., French, S. J., Read, N. W., (1997). The Effect of Sucrose- and Aspartame-Sweetened Drinks on

Energy Intake, Hunger and Food Choice of Female, Moderately Restrained Eaters, International Journal of

Obesity, Volume 21, 37-42.

MedScape Today (1994-2010). Brain Tumors, 1. Cell Phone Link to Brain Tumors – Still No Clear Answers by

                Roxanne Nelson Retrieved from www.medscape.com/MedGenMed/braintumors

Pharmacother, A., Smith, J. D., Terpening, C. M., Schmidt, S. O., Gums, J.G., Randall, M., (Jun 2001).

Relief of fibromyalgia symptoms following discontinuation of dietary excitotoxins. 35(6):702-6. Veterans

Affairs Medical Center, Gainesville, FL, USA.

Rebhahn, P. (Mar/April 2001). Dangerous Diet Drinks, Facts &Findings, Subject(s): ASPARTAME – Physiological

effect; NONNUTRITIVE sweeteners, Side effects; MEMORY Source: Psychology Today, Vol. 34, Issue 2,

p 20, p.2/5, Section, Nutrition.

Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary (1985). Various Definitions: Amino Acids (p. 74)

Aspartame (p. 150), Phenylalanine and Phenylketonuria (p. 1385).

November!

I have been thinking about the month of NOVEMBER.. This is not a good month for me and has not been so for a great many years. Here are some things about November in my life to think about:

 

§  In Rhodesia where I grew up, November is Spring.

§  November starts on the same day of the week as February in common years (not Leap year), and in March every year.

§  November ends on the same day of the week as August of every year.

§  November 1^st is All Saints Day.

§  My brother shared a birthday on November 10^th the USMC.

§  On November 11, 1965 Rhodesia declared independence from Britain. Veteran’s Day is celebrated in the US on November 11^th.

§  My sister was married November 11th the year I returned to the US.

§  My youngest daughter’s father abandoned us in November.

§  My grandmother died on November 13^th.

§  On my birthday in 1493, Christopher Columbus discovered Puerto Rico. I also share my birthday with the McCaughey septuplets, Meg Ryan, Jodie Foster, and Larry King among others.

§  Thanksgiving is celebrated every November.

§  Black Friday occurs the Friday following Thanksgiving.

§  My husband died on November 29^th, the Monday following Thanksgiving.

§  The last time I saw my brother alive was at Thanksgiving 9-years ago this year.
§  My sister was married November 11th the year I returned to the US.

§  The Zodiac signs of November are Scorpio and Sagittarius.

§  The chrysanthemum is the flower for November.

§  The birthstone for November is the yellow topaz.
There are 11 family and friends' birthdays in the month of November.

 

This time of the year continues to be a source of pain and a time of memories, most of them good ones, but every year as November comes around, the sadness comes along. Every year I tell myself in all the months preceding November that this is the year things will be better. Invariably when November rolls in, things are just the same as before in spite of all my positive thoughts. I feel a dampening of spirit that stays with me until mid-March every year.

I wish that September through March would just disappear from my life.......But then I remember a quote from George Iles: "Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark." and I go on hoping that next November will be better :)

Guy Fawkes

It's Guy Fawkes Day! When I was a kid growing up in Africa, this day was my favorite day each year because we were treated to the best fireworks display and burning of an effigy of Guy Fawkes at the stake. We also had sparklers to celebrate the event :) In early England a man named Guy Fawkes headed a plot to blow up Parliament but was caught before he could make it happen and was burnt at the stake instead.
At this celebration, the fireworks display is quite spectacular and ends with a buring at stake. The only difference is that the effigy is filled with firecrackers of every kind. When the flames finally get to his head, his head explodes with dozens of rockets that fly into the air in wild succession! It was always such fun!!

I reached another milestone today - I finally decided on a title for my book! I am really excited about that because the title is a nickname that was given to my father by the schoolboys at the boarding school where he was the principal for many years. The one word title in the dialect means 'Patches' because the book is written in 3 sections. My father had an amazing ability to fix anything with nothing, a skill that he acquired as an airplane mechanic in the Navy at Guadalcanal during WWII and which served him well as the principal of a boarding school. My novel is dedicated to the memory of my husband and also to my father :)

I wonder why?

In San Diego we have a TV anchor who periodically gives us an "I wonder Why?" segment on the news.

Here are two of MY "I wonder Why?" questions for you:

1) I wonder why there is a Braille keypad on some drive-up teller machines?

2) I wonder why people like the term 'Free Gift'?  All gifts are free so if you advertize something as a 'Free Gift' then there must be strings attached and in the end it's not free at all!

The CAT in the HAT on Aging - 10/29/10

This is for all the chronologically-challenged people out there to make them smile today. I definitely needed a smile for today :)

Just in case you weren't feeling too old today. 

The people who are starting college this fall were born in 1989. 

They are too young to remember the space shuttle blowing up. 

Their lifetime has always included AIDS.. 

The CD was introduced two years before they were born. 

They have always had an answering machine. 

They have always had cable.. 

Jay Leno has always been on the Tonight Show. 

Popcorn has always been microwaved.                 

They never took a swim and thought about Jaws. 

They don't know who Mork was or where he was from. 

They never heard: 'Where's the Beef?', 'I'd walk a mile for a Camel ', or 'de plane Boss, de plane'. 

McDonald's never came in Styrofoam containers. 

They don't have a clue how to use a typewriter. 

Pass this on to the other old fogies on your list. 

Notice the larger type?

That's for those of us who have trouble reading. 

P.S. Save the earth. It's the only planet with chocolate.

Word of the Day List - 10/27/10

Professor Feraldi asked me to post the word of the day list and I will update it as we continue through this term :) Enjoy!

• vivisection - animal experimentation that causes distress to living animals; minute examination or criticism.
• sentient - conscious of sense expression; finely sensitive in perception or feeling.
• flume – narrow gorge with a stream running through it.
• propinquity – nearness of blood (kinship); nearness in place or time (proximity)
• gitches – underwear (yesteryear)
• gittern – a medieval guitar.
• specious – false look of truth or genuineness.
• excelsior – fine, curled wood shavings used especially for packing fragile items.
• anamnesis(ses) – a recalling to mind (reminiscence); a preliminary medical or psychiatric case history of a patient.
• yttrium – a silvery, metallic element included in the rare-earth elements in minerals used in phosphors, YAG lasers, and super alloys.
• coprolalia – the use of vulgar, obscene, or sacrilegious language as in schizophrenia and Tourette’s syndrome.
• effulgent (adj.) – shining brilliantly; effulgence (n.).
• concatenation (n) – a linking together or being linked together in a series; a series of things or events regarded as casually or dependently connected.
• detritivore – an organism (as an earthworm or fungus) that feeds on dead or decomposing organic matter.
• fillister (n)- a plane for cutting grooves in wood; a groove as in a window frame for holding the glass.

Another Word for the Day - 10/22/10

yttrium – a silvery, metallic element included in the rare-earth elements in minerals used in phosphors, YAG lasers, and super alloys.

History - 10/21/10

The last two days have been very significant days in my life. On the 20^th October, 1978, my husband, two children and I landed at LA-X.  Little did we know on that day that we had arrived in a foreign country. And now, 32-years later without my husband who had died four years later, and with three grandsons and a soon-to-be granddaughter on the way, I know  just how different my life is today in comparison to what it was then. For me, the ‘American Dream’ has in fact been an ‘American Nightmare’. But I’m still here trying to remain positive, some good days here and there, but many more bad days than good in my quest to find out where I fit into the scheme of things. I appear like everyone else on the outside but on the inside I am a completely different person with values and outlook that is totally alien to most of the people I meet each day.

And today I wrote the last chapter of my book! This has been a long ride for me because I began writing my story less than a year after my husband died. Here is a quote from the Preface of my story that is based on my experiences growing up in the middle of four very different cultures in a 3^rd world country – I do not have a title yet, and will have to rely on an editor to help me decide that. Here it is:

‘TITLE’ is a purely fictional depiction in words, written from the heart of person who is grateful for all the wonderful memories experienced while growing up in this amazing country.  The characters are fictional; the places are based on my own personal experiences living in Salisbury during school months and spending the school holidays at home in the bush, or visiting all the special places that are Rhodesia. Many of the places in this story will be identifiable by many of the people who read these pages and I hope that remembering these places will renew their own memories of being a part of this great country.  I have written a story based on my own experiences, thoughts and impressions elicited by returning to the US, a foreign country, after 29 years of living and breathing Rhodesia.

            It is a story of contrasts and differing cultures, but also a story of comparisons that begins in the early 1970s in Rhodesia and continues through the very early 80s in California. Therefore, the names of places are taken from that period of time, as well as certain language impressions that were inherent at that time and not based on the political correctness of today.  I have tried to describe the splendor of the sights and sounds of Rhodesia as I experienced them and remember them, as well as certain incidents that caused laughter and a feeling of innate wellbeing.  It is also a story of survival and moving on with life, sometimes with only memory to color present days….

Excerpt from the Introduction:

...Scott opened his eyes and peered downwards to where the dry, hot, flatness lay shimmering in the waves of heat that appeared to be a huge, brown ocean. The endless land was criss-crossed with a multitude of tiny, vein-like footpaths and trails carved there by many passing feet and a great many more passing years. He could almost see the scraggly, dry thorn bushes Acacia mellifera or ‘wait-a-bit-bushes’ with the inquisitive lizards seeking the minute spaces of shade beneath them. The land looked like a finely designed patchwork blanket, woven in various earth-tones, tufts of dry grass spattered across the many tones of brown – erasable. Clouds whispered beneath the steel hulking of the aircraft and spattered the brown, shimmering expanse below with little blotches of whiteness. Occasionally, a tree-lined river, bright green in contrast to the land surrounding it, snaked its way across the brown earth giving a new dimension to the panorama of the continent below him – a somewhat strange glimmer of life in the seeming otherwise dead land surrounding it. Myriads of rocks wildly stacked, leaning, burning the landscape with bright orange of the lichen that covered them, dotted the flatness and brought to Scott’s mind the great balancing, granite rocks that had so captured his imagination when he saw them for the first time. Now and again, there was a baobab tree, its thick, grotesque trunk with straggling, upward reaching branches gray against the brown earth. They appeared as great sentries carefully guarding the land surrounding them and providing very little shade to animals that might take refuge beneath them. He had seen similar trees in California when he had first been with Tembani, but those were nothing compared to the real baobab trees. He recalled many a moment when he and his friend had sat leaning against the fat gray trunk sucking on the seeds from the furry green pods that were scattered about on the ground. Scott was convinced that all the mystery of Africa existed in these ungainly and ghostly trees. Africa! Land of enchantment and mystery, traditions and legends, but nevertheless filled with vitality and wonder. Now, to him, Scott Raynard, this land was like an open book, no longer filled with mystery as it had been in the beginning, for this land had opened itself to him through his friend Tembani. Tembani was gone now, forever, taking with him the mystery, but the enchantment remained and would remain buried deep within his heart to the end of his life.....

I hope that one day you will perhaps read my story.

A Word for Today - 10/7/10

I discovered this word when doing the reading for this unit.

specious – false look of truth or genuineness.

Pennies - 9/28/10

You always hear the usual stories of pennies on the sidewalk being good luck, gifts from angels, etc. This is the first time I've ever heard this twist on the story.  Gives you something to think about.

Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband's employer's home. My friend was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than her house.  The first day and evening went well, and she was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. The husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants. She knew that she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so was enjoying herself immensely.

As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of my friend and her husband.

He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment.

My friend wondered if she was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts. Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny.

He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny?  Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up?

Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, she could stand it no longer. She casually mentioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value.

A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see. She had seen many pennies before!  What was the point of this?

"Look at it." He said. "Read what it says." She read the words "United States of America"

"No, not that; read further."

"One cent?"    "No, keep reading."  "In God we Trust?"     "Yes!"    "And?"  "And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him? Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!

When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change. I read the words, "In God We Trust," and had to laugh. Yes, God, I get the message.

It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months, but then, pennies are plentiful!  And, God is very patient!

Invictus - 9/26/10

This is a poem that Nelson Mandela read every day while incarcerated on Robbin Island and still reads today, even though he is in his 90s.  He was in prison for taking a stand against apartheid, and uniting his beloved South Africa regardless of color or creed.  He never gave up and he went on to be the President of South Africa for many years.  He speaks several languages fluently and supports the present government without question because he knows how difficult life can sometimes be.  If you haven't seen this movie, I would say you should do so.  It would inspire you to be a better person.

Invictus 

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade.
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

William Ernest Henley