Saturday, May 19, 2007

Rescue Village, CMA photography, Cruise for Cure


www.noteworthycardsONLINE.com
Icons of American Photography, June 23, CMA
Icons of American Photography

Cruise for the Cure® on the Nautica Queen

Whether you're a survivor yourself ... know someone who's fighting the fight ... or if you just want to do what you can to help in the fight against breast cancer, Soft Rock 102.1 WDOK, WKYC TV-3 and National City Bank invite you to join us Sunday, June 3rd for our 6th Annual "Cruise for the Cure®" on board the Nautica Queen - Cleveland's favorite cruise dining ship.

Experience all the fun of the Nautica Queen ... meet Trapper Jack, Robin Benzle, Jim McIntyre, Nancy Alden and Dan Deely ... plus help a great cause at the same time! While on board the Nautica Queen, you'll cruise under historic bridges and experience a breathtaking view of Downtown Cleveland's ever-changing skyline. Our cruise includes an unlimited dinner buffet, coffee, tea or iced tea, and musical entertainment ... plus lots of fun & prizes as we play "Fact or Lie" with your favorite WDOK personalities. Soft drinks, beer, wine and alcoholic beverages are also available to purchase.

The cost for this very special cruise is just $25 per person. That's a terrific savings over the cost of a regular dinner cruise ... and best of all, every dollar collected goes directly to Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and the 14th Annual Susan G. Komen Northeast Ohio "Race for the Cure®" on Saturday, September 15th. A nominal service fee will be added to the cost of each ticket to cover the cost of credit card processing.

"Cruise for the Cure®" Fast Facts

Date: Sunday, June 3, 2007, rain or shine
Ticket price: $25 per person (adults and children)
Boarding begins at 5 p.m.
Nautica Queen departs promptly at 6 p.m.
Ship returns to the dock at about 8:30 p.m.

Don't be left standing at the dock. Space is limited ... make your reservations today. Click here to puchase your tickets now

Monday, May 14, 2007

More Mother's Day, AHD, eating clean, Отче наш


Best Mother's Day ever (with chocolate, ginger, a visit, Bobby, flowers, and a clean car)!

Eating Clean? Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jessica_Dawn

If you begin to practice eating clean, you'll see what seems like miraculous changes in your body.
When I refer to eating clean, I mean you consistently eat high quality foods that are basically free of all unnatural additives. Clean foods are those without man-made sugars, hydrogenated fats, trans-fats and other unnecessary ingredients.
If you simply follow the rule of consuming a portion of lean protein (cold water fish, white meat poultry, etc.) in combination with complex carbohydrates (yams, whole wheat bread, etc.) at each meal you'll notice a significant change in how you feel and how you look. In addition, adding fresh fruits and vegetables to each meal will leave you feeling full & healthy. Clean snacks include the apples, fruit & nuts, or chopped veggies with hummus. Meals or snacks should be eaten at regular two or three hour intervals throughout the day if you are interested in really getting lean. If you are really interested in staying trim, eat more high quality foods regularly throughout the day, this will result in increased overall metabolism, fat loss, and retaining your lean muscle.
Eating clean to stay lean does not mean eating less. In fact, you'll probably eat more than you were before. But now, you will be eating lots of healthy, superior foods that rev up your metabolism and fill you with lots of energy.


The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language,
Fourth Edition, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2006, $60.00, 2112 pages, hardcover, ISBN-10: 0618701729

This updated edition includes, according to its Web site, revised biographical and geographical entries as well as up-to-date charts and tables for topics such as world currencies and chemical elements. Among the 500 entries new to this update are:
  • Amber Alert
  • blogosphere
  • gravitino
  • halo effect
  • hawala
  • lycopene
  • malware
  • micropolis
  • proteome
  • Qi Gong
  • SARS
  • shout-out
  • speed dating
  • sudoku
  • Texas hold’em
  • text message
  • wiki

    Wikipedia explains the history of this dictionary, noting that the first edition appeared in 1969. Its creation was spurred by the controversy over the Webster's Third New International Dictionary.
    James Parton, the owner of the history magazine American Heritage, was appalled by the "permissiveness" of Webster's Third, published in 1961, and tried to buy the G. and C. Merriam Company so he could undo the changes. When that failed, he contracted with Houghton to publish a new dictionary. The AHD was edited by William Morris and relied on a usage panel of 105 writers, speakers, and eminent persons for usage notes... The AHD made the innovative step of combining prescriptive elements (how language should be used) and descriptive information (how it actually is used)... Citations were based on a million word, three-line citation database prepared by Brown University linguist Henry Kucera.

    The AHD is larger than a desk dictionary but smaller than Webster's Third New International Dictionary or The Random-House Dictionary of the English Language. A lower-priced college edition includes monocolor printing.This dictionary can also be purchased with a fully loadable CD-ROM that contains the entire text of the updated Fourth Edition, 68,000 audio pronunciations, 1,000 full-color photographs and illustrations, and a college-level thesaurus with more than 260,000 synonyms. The CD-ROM has spell-check capability and can be used in conjunction with any Microsoft Office application to get definitions at the click of a mouse.

    The updated edition does not disappoint. The content is as good as ever, including the most helpful usage notes. The paper version still has the striking illustrations and beautiful packaging that includes the recessed index tabs. As an experiment, I went to dictionary.com and got these results for shout-out.
American Heritage Dictionary
shout-out (shout'out')
n. Slang
A public expression of gratitude or recognition.


Webster's New Millennium™ Dictionary of English
Main Entry: shout-out
Part of Speech: n
Definition: an acknowledgment, credit, or greeting given for someone during a radio or television show; a mention made to show respect
Example: We'd like to give a shout-out to all our loyal fans.
Etymology: 1990
Usage: slang

Webster's New Millennium™ Dictionary of English, Preview Edition (v 0.9.6)
Copyright © 2003-2006 Lexico Publishing Group, LLC


In Slaying the English Jargon (an STC publication), Fern Rook notes that there are many English language dictionaries. The main ones are the Oxford English Dictionary, the M-W unabridged and collegiate dictionaries, and The American Heritage Dictionary. Others, she notes, are the Random House unabridged and collegiate dictionaries and Webster's New World Dictionary (from World publishing). Several others use the Webster name.

Fern goes on to state that most dictionaries do a good job in the four most important functions of spelling, meaning, pronunciation, and syllabification. However, there are differences in other areas that you should consider when deciding on purchase or use of a new dictionary.

She cautions us when pointing out Dr. Samuel Johnson's statement that "Dictionaries are like new watches: the worst is better than none, and the best cannot be expected to go quite true."

M-W unabridged is the most prestigious in the United States and considered be the authority by librarians and linguists. The appearance of The American Heritage Dictionary was notable in that it was the first to have made the best seller list. M-W dictionaries concentrate on what is widely used. The AHD provides usage guideliens for those who need to find out whether a word is considered to be standard usage. For example, for grub, AHD shows "Slang Food" in the entry. M-W shows simply "food" for its entry.

AHD
n.
  1. The thick wormlike larva of certain beetles and other insects.
  2. A drudge.
  3. Slang Food.
M-W
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English grubbe, from grubben
1 : a soft thick wormlike larva of an insect (as a beetle)
2 a : one who does menial work : DRUDGE b : a slovenly person
3 : FOOD

Fern feels that one of the best features of the AHD is that it lists the most common meaning first, not the historical order, as M-W does. AHD is the most readable dictionary. If you need to know how a word is commonly used, AHD is a good choice. A M-W dictionary or The Oxford English Dictionary is a good choice if you need to know historical information about a word.


Back to Mother's Day







Notre Père, qui es aux cieux,
Que ton nom soit sanctifié,
Que ton règne vienne,
Que ta volonté soit faite sur la terre comme au ciel.

Donne-nous aujourd'hui notre pain de ce jour.
Pardonne-nous nos offences
Comme nous pardonnons aussi à ceux qui nous ont offensés.
Et ne nous soumets pas à la tentation,
mais délivre-nous du mal,
car c'est à toi qu'appartiennent le règne,
la puissance et la gloire, aux siècles des siècles.

Amen.

Отче наш,
сущий на небесах,
да святится имя Твое,
да приидет Царствие Твое,
да будет воля Твоя и на земле, как на небе.

Хлеб наш насущный подавай нам на каждый день,
и прости нам грехи наши,
ибо и мы прощаем всякому должнику нашему,
и не введи нас в искушение,
но избавь нас от лукавого.
Аминь.

Friday, May 11, 2007

May is National Mental Health Month

May is National Mental Health Month

Mental health affects everyone, regardless of whether or not you have a mental illness. By developing healthy habits, you can boost mental health and increase your resiliency to mental illness, enabling you to live longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives. To promote wellness during Mental Health Month, Mental Health America – the country’s leading nonprofit dedicated to helping all people live mentally healthier lives developed the following tips for managing everyday stress:
  • Set Manageable Goals: The more control you have over work, the less stress you’ll feel.
  • Live a Healthy Lifestyle: Limit caffeine and alcohol, get enough rest, exercise and balance work and play.
  • Spend Time with Others: Reach out to someone you haven’t talked to in a while or call a friend or relative to join you in everyday activities.
  • Take a Time Out: Taking time to unwind can decrease your stress levels and improve your health and relationships.
  • Ask for Help. Allow friends and family to assist with housework, child-care or any activities you find stressful. To learn more ways to promote wellness in your and your loved ones during Mental Health Month visit http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net
Here is the three-year chart for ROK. Well, this is more stock health than mental health. Hm, that connection is a stretch, but at least the stock is not at an all-time low.

http://tools.morningstar.com/charts/MStarCharts.aspx?Security=ROK&CountryId=USA&TimeFrame=Y3&ExchangeId=&LowIndicators=Volume|&Log=&bSize=460&Fundamental=&Events=&Options=P&Types=&MovingAvg=&Index=&Stock=&Totals=&DateFrom=&DateTo=&HPrime=&VPrime=&FPrime=&HostServer=quicktake.morningstar.com

Getting back to the topic of mental health

Merriam-Webster defines mental health as "A state of emotional and psychological well-being in which an individual is able to use his or her cognitive and emotional capabilities, function in society, and meet the ordinary demands of everyday life."

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there is no one "official" definition of mental health. Cultural differences, subjective assessments, and competing professional theories all affect how "mental health" is defined. In general, most experts agree that "mental health" and "mental illness" are not opposites. In other words, the absence of a recognized mental disorder is not necessarily an indicator of mental health.

One way to think about mental health is by looking at how effectively and successfully a person functions. Feeling capable and competent; being able to handle normal levels of stress, maintaining satisfying relationships, and leading an independent life; and being able to "bounce back," or recover from difficult situations, are all signs of mental health.

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Baбyшka нaшa, Mother's Day, Russian babies, mommogram

June 1, 2007: Charity concert on Child Protection Day

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Can musicians and singers bring health, love and attention to more than 100 000 street kids who drift from city to city looking for a better life?
International Child Protection Day, a Great Charity Concert «Classics & Jazz» will gather popular Russian and international singers and musicians to break down the wall of incomprehension, fear and lovelessness against children living on streets. They will remind us of the problem which, to our regret, still exists in Russia. http://www.unicef.org/russia/media_6518.html

Babushka-mama (бaбyшka нaшa) - thoughts on Mother's Day and June 1 birthday coming up

  • Oy!
  • To each his own.
  • That you know.
  • My best friend is Johnny Walker.
  • Sugar makes you smarter.
  • Finger sandwiches make life better.
  • It's just water and ice with big, big orange.
  • It's not weather, it's suicide.
  • And I hang...
  • You made my day.
  • Is only one way.
  • All America crazy about it.
  • He looks like a Micky Mouse.
  • Ricky will fix it.
  • We all have the same God.

Mother's Day (or thereabouts)

  • B's yard beds, dark chocolate with ginger
  • Beacon Brunch, Corcoran (Modernity), FilmFest, and Sac visit
  • mommogram (May 11)
  • Thank You for Smoking, Bobby, Control Room

Thank You for Smoking (2005)
Tobacco industry lobbyist Nick Naylor has a seemingly impossible task: promoting cigarette smoking in a time when the health hazards of the activity have become too plain to ignore. Nick, however, revels in his job, using argument and twisted logic to place, as often as not, his clients in the positions of either altruistic do-gooders or victims. Nick's son Joey needs to understand and respect his dad's philosophy, and Nick works hard to respond to that need without compromising his lack of values. When a beautiful news reporter betrays Nick's sexually-achieved trust, his world seems in danger of collapsing. But there's always one more coffin nail in Nick's pack. Written by http://www.imdb.com/SearchPlotWriters?Jim%20Beaver%20%7Bjumblejim@prodigy.net%7D

Bobby DVD: Widescreen

From Wikipedia - This movie got a seven minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival. Lou Lomenick of The New York Post gave the film "Bobby" one (out of four) stars saying that it was just another rip-off of a much better film, 1975's Nashville

Ah, how did this get in here?


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Mother's Day is a good time to be reminded of thebreastcancersite.com.

Morning Edition, April 25, 2007 (NPR report on adoption in Russia)

Russian authorities have suspended the work of foreign adoption agencies. That has put into limbo the plans of many Americans waiting to adopt Russian children, even as human rights groups say a growing number of institutionalized children in Russia are living — and dying — in wretched conditions.
Most of the nearly 800,000 children called orphans in Russia still have living parents.

Thirteen-year-old Sasha says he ran away from home at the age of 6. He now lives in a Moscow boarding school called Internat No. 8."I left because my parents behaved badly," Sasha says. "They drank and took drugs and didn't take care of me."

Another Internat No. 8 resident, Tatyana, 12, was abandoned at birth. She says she likes drawing and sewing, and wants to become a doctor.

Compared with most children like them, Tatyana and Sasha are lucky. Their dorm rooms are clean, teachers are dedicated, and the children appear genuinely happy.

But director Vadim Menshov says that's not good enough.
"Children are traumatized even in the best orphanages because they have no time to themselves," Menshov says. "Even this school is too crowded. It needs to be bulldozed. Children shouldn't live in such places."

The government has only recently started to encourage Russians to adopt. But very few Russian families want to adopt orphans because they're often seen as sick or somehow damaged. Half of the 15,000 children adopted in Russia each year are taken in by foreigners.

Americans adopt more children from Russia than from any other country except China and Guatemala. But now the government has suspended the work of all foreign adoption agencies. Officials say it's a temporary measure, part of the new registration requirements for all non-governmental organizations.
Still, Education Ministry official Sergei Vitelis says Russian children should stay in Russia.
"Adoption by foreigners probably isn't entirely right," Vitelis says. "Any normal state should create conditions for children to grow up in their own country. That's what we're aiming for."
Children's rights advocates say the official crackdown on foreign adoptions is more about national pride than concern for child welfare. They say it condemns children to a system of Soviet-era institutions desperately in need of reform.

A baby lies crying in a decrepit, wooden maternity hospital in Russia's poverty-stricken Far North. Many child advocates say places like these are where the problems start. Hospital staff often try to persuade parents of babies with disabilities to give them over to state care. Poverty and alcoholism also drive parents to abandon their children.

Sergei Koloskov, head of the Down Syndrome Society, says that contrary to government figures, the number of orphans in Russia is growing — and overloading the state's orphanage system.
"Healthy babies are lying in hospital beds all day as if they were sick, sometimes for months or longer," Koloskov says. "They're completely ignored. No one plays with them or provides any kind of stimulation. That happens because orphanages where they're supposed to go after birth are full."
Experts say that the lack of attention at an early age seriously harms a child's development. Elena Olshanskaya started a group of volunteers to help children in hospitals after noticing abandoned babies in rooms at the hospital where she gave birth.

"I was stunned," she says. "They were completely alone. They were fed several times a day and that was it. After a while, they just stop crying."

Last winter, another patient in a central Russian hospital noticed a room of abandoned babies with their mouths taped shut to stop them from crying. Her cell phone video shocked the country when it was played on national television. Reports of babies tied down in their cots are common. Many believe that's because hospital staff are seriously overworked.

Boris Altshuler of the Child's Right group says it's often immediately clear to visitors that abandoned babies are left to "rot alive."

"First of all [there's] the smell — [the] smell of unchanged linens or even children lying on just plastic. And [a] terrible smell because nobody changes, nobody cares," Altshuler says.

Toxins in the kitchen, yard update, Michelins, NPR

Toxins in the Kitchen (Dr. Maoshing Ni)

Here is my take.

You may be eating only organic, antioxidant-rich foods, but if you cooked your food on the toxic surface of your stovetop in a carcinogenic no-stick pan, you just might be doing more harm than good.

Cut the Grease Without the Toxins (Using Baking Soda)

When you are facing a stovetop with a buildup of baked-on grease, don’t turn to commercial oven and stovetop cleaners - that is like cleaning with poison. Instead, try baking soda. Just sprinkle baking soda on your stovetop, let it sit for five minutes and then scour the surface with either steel wool or scrubber. For the stubborn spots that refuse to be removed, try spraying this mixture on: mix dishwashing liquid, borax, and warm water together; let it sit for 20 minutes, and then scour it.

Microwave

Microwaves use super-fast particles to literally radiate the contents of water inside food and bring it to boil. Not only has microwave use been linked to causing infertility in men, but it also denatures many of the essential proteins in the food making them virtually indigestible. If you must, use the low setting just to heat the foods.

Poisonous Pots and Pans

Copper or aluminum cookware might be poisoning you. These metals interact with heat and food, and leach into your diet; gradually these will accumulate in your body, sometimes reaching the point of toxicity. Toxic levels of aluminum have been linked to memory loss, headaches, indigestion, and brain disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease. High levels of copper can debilitate the immune system and enable cancer cells to proliferate. After scouring with abrasives, even stainless steel can release small amounts of toxic metals like chromium and nickel.

Nonstick pans contain Teflon, a plastic that in recent years has been linked to immune disorders and possible cancer conditions.

Instead, use cookware with porcelain enamel coating or made of glass, cast iron, or lead-free, terra-cotta clay.

Canned Goods

Canned foods, though easier to use than cooking from scratch, are a threat to your health. The substance bisphenol A, used to line food cans, is classified as an endocrine disruptor, a compound that can act like a hormone when it enters the human system. Scientists have discovered that exposure to these chemicals can contribute to prostate cancer, breast cancer, cystic ovaries, and endometriosis.

More News - Misc. - Unrelated

  • Barb got her new yard beds
  • We got new Michelins on the CRV
  • NPR - Kojo - Beyond the Headlines with Marvin Kalb
    The headlines are full of new political leaders in Ireland, old ones in Israel, and a jumble of would-be presidents in the U.S. Legendary broadcaster Marvin Kalb joins Kojo to reflect on the news of the day, and his proposal for a series of presidential candidate debates that could change the face of Election 2008.
    Guests
    Marvin Kalb, Senior Fellow, The Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy, Harvard University

Sunday, May 6, 2007

More catastrophes

Barbie's Chloe and Mischa .






Rescue Village hours
M and Th noon to 7pm
Sun, Tu, Fr, Sat noon to 5pm
Closed Wed.


Sacha is working on this one.




10 reasons why two kittens are better than one?

Photo kittens in adoption cage


Rescue Village hours
M and Th noon to 7pm
Sun, Tu, Fr, Sat noon to 5pm
Closed Wed.




  1. You're saving two lives instead of one.
  2. One kitten can become lonely
  3. One kitten can just drive an older cat nuts. (Ivy drive Chester nuts? Oy! Impossible! Two Ivys would be better? )
  4. Two kittens will "self-train."
  5. They help each other burn off energy.
  6. Fewer behavior problems with two kittens.
  7. Curiosity overcomes "food finickyness."
  8. They act as pillows for one another.
  9. Having two kittens is insanely fun.
  10. They will each have a friend for life.

Friday, May 4, 2007