National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month

Talking With Justice Sandra Day O'Connor: Battling Alzheimer's

By Paula Spencer Scott, Caring.com senior editor

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November is National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month -- and this week (November 11) marks one year since Alzheimer’s made a widow of former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. She and her late husband, attorney John J. O'Connor, had lived with his diagnosis for almost two decades.
Seeing little progress against what she calls "this dreadful disease," Justice O'Connor is calling for the country to commit to developing a national strategy against Alzheimer's, with the goal of finding a breakthrough by 2020.
She stepped down from the high court in 2005 to help relocate her husband to a care facility. As his condition deteriorated, she and her family coped with many common Alzheimer's effects, including his failure to recognize them and his developing romantic attachments to fellow residents.
"I suspect that you will not hear from many of my fellow caregivers directly," Justice O'Connor testified before Congress in 2008, her first public remarks about her story, "simply because they do not have the resources to take time away from their loved ones in order to come before you."

In an interview with Caring.com, Justice O'Connor talks about what the country needs to eradicate Alzheimer's -- and how individual caregivers can cope.
What's the one thing you'd like to see the new Congress do to help put the country on a clear path toward a cure?
So little national focus has been given to Alzheimer's, other than by private groups. We need to see the same effort on a national basis to take action concerning Alzheimer's that has happened in the past with other diseases, like AIDS and polio. We need to take stock of all federally financed resources available. Or perhaps designate a coordinator -- when this nation decided to take on AIDS, we got a leader or two to head the effort.
The biggest impediment has been getting the votes. They haven't been there so far. Why that is, I'm not sure, given that Alzheimer's is so prevalent.
You've said before Congress that many caregivers lack the resources to take time away from loved ones to lobby for a national Alzheimer's strategy or cure. What do you suggest an individual caregiver do to help bring about change?
There's still a lot they can do. They can send letters to individual members of Congress who are considering legislation about Alzheimer's policy. Stamps aren't that expensive! They can also become a member of any group advocating change for Alzheimer's, and be counted that way. Caregivers can still be a voice.
How did you and your family respond when you first learned your husband had Alzheimer's -- and at what point did you begin to think of yourself as a caregiver?
I think my three children and I realized the seriousness and the difficulty of the disease immediately. I don't think we had any misconceptions. We knew how dreadful it is.
I thought of myself as a caregiver from the outset. My husband and I were very close. If one needed help, the other was always there. So my caring for him happened on autopilot. That was the deal we made when we married, that we would care for each other.
Was there some aspect of your caregiving experience that worked especially well, that other caregivers might learn from?
One great thing was that I asked my three children to select a care place for their father when his condition went beyond my ability to care for him at home. It's something almost everyone has to do eventually because this is such a degenerative disease.
They did a wonderful job, and I was glad. If I had selected a place myself, they may have felt I could have done better. By talking together and collaborating, we avoided internal misunderstandings and disappointments. That was great.

“Hear the word of the Lord, O nations;

“Hear the word of the Lord, O nations; proclaim it in the distant coastlands: He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.” Jeremiah 31:10 We are praying that Ahmadinejad and all other enemies of Israel think twice before raising their hand against God’s chosen people. COMMENT AMEN below if you will join us in prayer. Please SHARE and ask your friends to pray.

Wheat Belly

Posted on March 20, 2013 by carpyharpy

Listen up, South Beach people. There is a new diet threatening the South Beach stranglehold on the culinary options of the hip and fit in America. It’s gluten-free and promises to have, literally, pounds and pounds of flab melting away from our pathetic, over-nourished, under-exercised forms, plus promising to completely eliminate diabetes from its victims. It is called Wheat Belly, by William Davis. M.D. There is also a cookbook so you can have tasty recipes for eliminating wheat from your diet.

Whereas the South Beach mantra is to avoid all carbohydrates except for a limited amount of whole grains and lots of red wine, the Wheat Belly theory bans ALL wheat and wheat-containing products. When you really get into this book, you learn about all the ‘hidden’ wheat that is in today’s products – like the glue on envelopes and stamps, lipstick and lip balms, prescription drugs, soy sauce, oyster sauces, soups, salad dressings, Teriyaki sauce, soups, Jelly Beans and Starburst candies, packaged seasonings, deli meats, and on, and on. Start fly-speccing labels and you will find wheat in an unbelievable number of products that you’d never suspect. (Jelly beans, REALLY?) Yes!
When I was in pre-op at our hospital waiting for my knee surgery, the anesthesiologist came in to talk with me about my imminent surgical procedure. He saw on my chart that I was a long-term, insulin-dependent diabetic and on the “heavy” side. So he asked me if I had heard of the ‘wheat belly’ syndrome. I had not heard of it, but now I had a name for the bulge that I have been hauling around on the front of my belly since I mysteriously became diabetic and went on insulin He briefly explained the book’s philosophy and I asked him to write the name of it down on my surgical instructions because in my gauzy, hazy pre-anesthesia state, I might not remember it.
Paul and I have been noticing the crush of products cropping up on the grocery store shelves proclaiming to be “gluten-free.” Since less that 5% of humans have Celiac Disease and require a stringent gluten-free diet, we were surprised that so much attention was being paid to products being gluten-free. I even saw a sticker on a watermelon proclaiming it to be gluten-free, for Heaven’s sake! After reading about the Wheat Belly diet theory, it is now more understandable. HOWEVER. You need to beware that a lot of products proclaiming to be gluten-free are, in fact, full of lots of other stuff you want even less than wheat glutens – specifically sugars. Many of these products have replaced wheat gluten with things like potato starch, rice starch, tapioca starch and corn starches. These cause blood sugars to skyrocket and you will not lose the promised weight replacing wheat with these substitutes.
I ordered both the Wheat Belly book and the companion Wheat Belly Cookbook. So, I was off on a new discovery that promised to utterly change my life – I would ditch both my own ‘wheat belly’ and my diabetes.

I began by reading the book first. It was interesting, but pretty quickly slipped into tedium. How many ways can you tell people to stop eating all wheat and wheat-containing products. The beginning discussion about how the wheat we eat today is nothing like the wheat our cave-man predecessors ate was instructive. Hunter gatherers began gathering einkorn wheat and included many wild grasses and eventually began saving some of the seeds and planting them closer to their homes making harvesting them easier. Over the millennia, people hybridized this crop until we ended up with what we call ‘wheat’ today. Today’s ‘wheat’ is a super-hybridized and genetically modified product which is way different that the wheat Pillsbury marketed even 50 years ago.
Our bodies treat today’s wheat just like pure sugar. It exacerbates putting on pound after pound and causes our blood sugars to rocket up and down. The Wheat Belly goal is to replace everything ‘wheat’ with flax and nut flours, etc. This is where the cookbook is terribly useful. For instance, I made their recipe for meatloaf, and instead of using bread crumbs as a binder, I used ground golden flaxseed which is also super-rich in healthy omega threes. It turned out absolutely delicious and I ended up with no hidden wheat in our meatloaf. Ta-DA.
Next I made their recipe for the Kansas City-Style Barbecue Sauce which only uses a little stevia for sweetness. Paul and I have decried modern bottled barbecue sauces because they are often sickeningly sweet. Not only that, but if you read the labels on bottled sauces, high-fructose corn syrup is often the NUMBER ONE ingredient – coming in way ahead of tomatoes, or any other ingredients. These sauces are a chemical stew of things you really don’t want or need on your food. I tried cooking some pork spare ribs using the Wheat Belly version of the sauce and it was actually quite good.
So far, the recipes I’ve tried in the cookbook have been very good and we haven’t missed the wheat at all. In reality, you could keep all your South Beach books and just eliminate ALL the wheat and wheat-containing things listed in them. Its just basically good, healthy unprocessed foods. You would probably benefit from the Wheat Belly Cookbook because it shows you how to substitute the wheat in regular recipes with other kinds of things that will work the same. For instance, you’d need to substitute almond flour and coconut flour for regular white flour plus adjust the leavening to make a decent cake. The cookbook shows you how to do this and adjust the leavening so that you actually end up with a recognizable cake.
Except for the wheat products, this Wheat Belly diet is pretty much just like the Mediterranean Diet that is being touted by researchers as producing the best long-term health outcomes. You do have to completely give up pasta and bread, though. That can be a deal-killer. However, you can drink all the red wine your little heart desires and you don’t need to worry so much about fats. Healthy artery-clearing fats such as olive oil can be used liberally.
The book does become repetitive and boring after the first half. Paul and I both found that to be true. We quickly grew tired of the same things repeated over and over again sixty different ways. We came away from reading the book with a better understanding about the role wheat plays in contributing to obesity and diabetes and it made a lot of sense. However, you need to have time to shop for and cook all your meals from scratch. There are no pre-packaged, frozen, boxed, or restaurant meals that meet the stringent requirements for a ‘Wheat Belly’ diet.
So on Saturday night, we are having company for dinner and I am cooking an Italian Tuscan Chicken dinner, and yes I am serving lemony orzo pasta, and I will serve an Italian boule of Pane Toscano bread with it. We have not made the complete transition to no wheat whatsoever in our diet, and we probably never will, but we are substituting and cutting back where we can without giving up wheat entirely.
I am hoping over time my own little ‘wheat belly’ gets less and less. I’ll let you know, or maybe you’ll just notice.

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Hawaiian (Pina Colada)

Hawaiian (Pina Colada) Pie

Ingredients
 1 graham cracker pie crust
... 1 8 oz,pineapple, crushed with juice
1 8 oz container of cool whip, thawed
1 c coconut, shredded
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 c sour cream
1 pkg vanilla instant pudding (4 serving size) (i use sugar free)
 Directions
 1 In a bowl mix pineapple, and sour cream with dry pudding mix, mixing well. Add coconut (save a couple of Tablespoonfuls for garnish), vanilla, and cool whip (save a couple of tablespoonfuls for garnish)
 2 Pour mixture into pie crust. Spread remaining cool whip in a small design (I make a little circle on top for garnish, sprinkling remaining coconut on top. Place in fridge for a couple of hours to set up. In the hot summer months sometimes I freeze this pie and eat frozen... just a delicious. enjoy

Thankful for love for Aliyah ~

A baby’s laugh is like a song,
Sung by a beautiful bird.
A baby’s cry is like a storm,
Like the thunder in the sky.
A baby’s breath is like a soft wind,
The wind of a cool summers day.
A baby’s beauty is like a butterfly,
Fluttering its magnificent wings.
A baby’s body grows,
Like a new tree shooting up into the sky.
A baby’s like is as fragile as a star,
Shinning forever,
A baby’s a wonderful creation.
This poem was written/submitted by Ellie Price.

Hoped for ~

 you are more perfect
       than I could have hoped,
    more beautiful than I could have dreamed,
    more precious than I could have imagined...
            ...I love you more than
                   I could have known.

Rare Rothschild's Giraffe ~

The LEO Zoological Conservation Center in Greenwich, Conn., just got a whole lot cuter! According to NY Daily News, the staff welcomed an extremely rare Rothschild's giraffe that is listed on the endangered subspecies.

Wedding Belles

Wedding Belles  Thankful that I got Aliyah 1st birthday dress !!!!

Lamb Of God ~

Hebrew for Christians

The first occurrence of the word "love" in the Scriptures (אהבה, ahavah, Gen. 22:2) refers to Abraham's love for his "only" son Isaac who was to be offered as a sacrifice... Indeed the offering of Isaac was a prophetic picture of the sacrifice of Yeshua as the "Lamb of God" who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). For instance, both Isaac and Yeshua were born miraculously; both were "only begotten sons"; both were to be sacrificed by their fathers at Mount Moriah; both experienced a "passion"; both were to be resurrected on the third day (Gen. 22:5, Heb. 11:17-19); both willingly took up the means of his execution; and both demonstrate that one life can be sacrificed for another - the ram for Isaac, and Yeshua for all of mankind. We break the middle matzah during the Yachatz step of the seder to recall the broken body of Yeshua at the cross, and we later eat the Afikomen in faith of his resurrected life...

My Christmas Gift ~ 2012 Dec.

March 2013 " Wedding Week "

As I Look At YOU ~

As I look at you
I realized how
blessed I am
To see you grow
to see you play
to see you near
and far away.
To see you change
day by day.
To see you pray
everyday.
I never thought
that I will have
two beautiful sons
to brighten my life.
When you were born
to God I prayed
to let me see you
grow in His faith.
You'll still have
a lot to live
but I am blessed
you are here with me.

TED

TED and The Huffington Post are excited to bring you TEDWeekends, a curated weekend program that introduces a powerful "idea worth spreading" every Friday, anchored in an exceptional TEDTalk. This week's TEDTalk is accompanied by an original blog post from the featured speaker, along with new op-eds, thoughts and responses from the HuffPost community. Watch the talk above, read the blog post and tell us your thoughts below. Become part of the conversation!
Recently, I spoke to a class of at-risk high school kids. These kids, mostly non-white, have faced many different types of challenges. Some come from abusive parents. Some don't have parents. Some don't have a bed. Nearly all rely on the donated food they get at school as their daily sustenance. Every one faces economic challenges of varying proportions. For a few, it takes several buses and nearly two hours to get to school.
These kids are barely making it through high school -- at a time when many of my peers' kids are celebrating acceptances to upper echelon colleges. This school is their last chance. Simply getting to school on a daily basis is a hardship when you don't have any money or any food. Or anyone to motivate you to do so.
When I asked which of these students had experienced some adversity in their lives, all of them raised their hands. When I asked whether they felt these challenges had made them a better person, they nearly all raised their hands again.
I didn't grow up like they did. I've had a relatively privileged life. School was easy for me. I never had to worry about having a family who loved me, or food to eat, clothes, or a bed. I attended one of those top tier colleges. I've always been lucky.
But I now believe that most of us, if we live long enough, will experience one of those unexpected events in life that creates a seismic shift in perspective. This happened to me recently, and is the subject of my TEDTalk. I was 43, about to celebrate my first wedding anniversary with a wonderful guy. We had successfully negotiated a second marriage and a blending of two families. I was the happiest and healthiest that I had ever been.
The source of my cataclysm is better revealed in the short three-minute TEDTalk above, as I don't want to spoil the story for you. I'm guessing if you've made it this far into this post, you might be willing to invest the time to watch the video clip.I am very aware that not every cloud has a silver lining. I get it. -- Stacey Kramer
Sharing my story at TED was a remarkable opportunity. The very thought of being on stage gave me sweaty heart palpitations -- and that is why I knew I had to do it. I was so nervous the teleprompter wouldn't work that I bribed the AV techs with good chocolate, hoping they would pay extra attention to the prep for my insignificant short talk. When I walked onto the stage, the screens were blank, and they remained that way.
I wanted to share the positive side of a tough ordeal, and maybe inspire others to be able to see bad experiences as growth opportunities. I am very aware that not every cloud has a silver lining. I get it. I don't even know anyone who has experienced what I went through without some lingering physical disability, at best. I lost a friend and colleague last spring. His diagnosis was way worse than mine. He was not so lucky. He left behind a beautiful wife and two young children. I doubt they feel that losing him was a growth opportunity.
But maybe, too, there are some unexpected and unwanted things in life that will bring you down if you let them, and instead it's possible to shift your perspective and see the positives. I still feel lucky, even more so, and I wouldn't now choose to not have the experience that I did. I know that the next time I may not be so lucky, but until that time comes I will strive to embrace all the positives in my life and try not to dwell on the negatives.
Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form. TEDWeekends will highlight some of today's most intriguing ideas and allow them to develop in real time through your voice! Tweet #TEDWeekends to share your perspective or email tedweekends@huffingtonpost.com to learn about future weekend's ideas to contribute as a writer.

Eyes Always Shining ~

Special and Rare
Happy 9 months
beautiful  granddaughter of mine,
When I look at you,
your eyes always shine.
Your personality,
I truly admire,
Your love for life,
is here to inspire.
That I've been blessed,
with you my dear.
I would like to share,
With grand- daughter like you,
that is special and rare.
One of these wishes,
In my heart, I constantly feel,
It's the love that I have for you,
which is boundless and real.

Star - Filled Sky

Do you ever lean your head back and just stare at a star-filled sky? The majestic beauty of it can take your breath away…it leaves me in awe of the Creator who knows each bright light by name…
It’s with a starry sky that I’ll begin our journey…a journey that began thousands of years ago with a man named Abram. The Lord God had called to Abram’s heart: “I will make you a great nation and I will bless you,” He’d said. “I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Gen. 12:2-3) Abram, on faith, believed Him and followed God’s leading out of his homeland. Later down the road, Abram grew discouraged because he and his wife had not yet had children and he wondered how God’s promise would be fulfilled…but the Lord ‘took him outside and said, ‘Look up at the heavens and count the stars — if indeed you can count them. So shall your offspring be.”
Picture the night sky and imagine Abram’s wonder at such a promise — try to feel the amazed anticipation he must have felt…descendents enough to fill the heavens — how humbling that night must have been for him. How blessed he must have felt. And what joy to have his faith counted as righteousness in the sight of his Holy God…
And though it didn’t happen until their old age, Abraham and Sarah had a son. True to God’s word, the number of their descendents grew and the nation of Israel (so named after Abraham’s grandson, Jacob-Israel) was formed. Through the generations, Israel’s faithfulness to God came and went…but His love never wavered. A mighty king named David led Israel into their most prosperous years, but civil war weakened the nation and it split into two countries: Israel to the north, Judah to the south. Eventually both sides abandoned their faith and were taken into captivity…after an exile, a remnant of Israelites were given permission to return to Jerusalem. They began to rebuild their city and their knowledge of Jehovah God. They held to the promises God had given through the prophets — one day, a Messiah would deliver them from their captivity. A King would come to establish a kingdom for their people that would be without end.
By the time we reach the age of the New Testament, Israel has regained their population but not their strength. Rome is the ruling power and the Jewish people still wait for their King to show up and throw off all foreign bondage.
Perhaps on the quiet nights, the people of Israel look up at the spread of sparkling lights and wonder about the promises made to their father, Abraham. Maybe they try to imagine the One who would come to be the Prince of Peace and the Wonderful Counselor.
I’d like to think that Zechariah and Elizabeth were people who took time to sit before God in stillness, thinking of all that had come before and all the promises still to be fulfilled. We do know, from the first chapter of Luke, that they were upright in the sight of God and observed all of his commandments.
When we meet this couple, both in the bloodline of God’s appointed priestly family, they are well along in years. They have no children and probably believe they never will experience parenthood…until God’s plan changes the course of their lives in an unbelievable way.
The angel, Gabriel, is sent by God Himself to tell Zechariah that his prayers have been heard and Elizabeth will give birth to a son.
This son is to be named John and Gabriel reveals that he will bring many hearts back to God…and he will “make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
So God’s plan to send forth His Son is set in motion with an angel delivering good news and a stunned dad-to-be in silent jubilation…
…and God’s promise to Abraham to bless all nations through his descendents is on the brink of fulfillment. Because the One who knows each star in every galaxy by name will soon begin His life on earth. He knows each person in every generation…and He will lay down His life to redeem all who will call on His name.
Take your time when you walk outside after the sun sinks into slumber and the stars are there to light your way. Know that when He made that covenant with Abraham that He would bless all nations, God already knew it would be by His Son’s sacrifice. So look at those bright beacons and know that the promise made to Abraham so long ago was given by One who already loved you. And know that you have been blessed with a Savior.

"Zemer Nugeh"

The Hebrew poet known only as Rahel (1889-1931, born Rahel Bluwstein) expressed her love for the land of Israel through her beautiful and evocative poetry. Today, her grave beside her beloved Lake Kinneret is visited by tourists, pilgrims, and Rahel's many Israeli admirers.

When Ilan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut, perished aboard the space shuttle Columbia, one of Rahel's poems received renewed attention and popularity in Israel; Ramon had chosen to listen in space to a song whose lyrics were the Rahel poem "Sad Song" ("Zemer Nugeh" in Hebrew), which is also commonly known by its opening line, "Can you hear my voice?" ("Ha-tishma koli?").
The poem is reprinted below in Hebrew and in English translation, with the permission of the Jewish Agency. For more on Ilan Ramon, see the Jewish Agency's website.

Sad Song

Do you hear me, you who are So far away from me, my dear? Do you hear me crying aloud, Wishing you were well, wishing you were near? The world is vast, its ways diverse, Brief meetings, partings long, Men, with unsure feet, post on never to return, too weak To find the treasure they have lost. My last day drawing near Of the tears of separation I will await you until my life leaves as Rahel did her beloved.

'Joseph's Brothers Watch Their Father Mourn' - by

Honorable Mention: 'Joseph's Brothers Watch Their Father Mourn' - by
Yakov Azriel

"And Jacob rent his garments and put sackcloth on his loins, and mourned for his son [Joseph] many days. And all his sons and daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, He said, 'For 1 will go down to my son in mourning to my grave.' And his father wept for him."
(Genesis 37:34-35)

He doesn't know that Joseph lives, a slave;
How can we tell him Joseph didn't die?
Father will go in mourning to his grave.
Because we laughed when Joseph begged we save
Him from the pit, we hear our father cry.
He doesn’t know that Joseph lives, a slave,
Deceit and sin have sealed him in a cave
As dark as hate; they are the reasons why
Father will go in mourning to his grave.
A sea of pit engulfs us, wave by wave,
When Father grieves he never said good-bye.
He doesn't know that Joseph lives, a slave.
Yet Father doesn't scream or rage or rave;
Instead, we hear and watch our father sigh.
Father will go in mourning to his grave,
Father has grown a beard he will not shave.
How can we tell him that we live a lie?
He doesn't know that Joseph lives, a slave.
Father will go in mourning to his grave.

G-d Of Miracles ~

"Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning ,
great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23)
In Him there is ALWAYS hope... He will never leave us or forsake us and He will make the impossible, possible, if we just rely on Him. Have faith guys, as our Father is a G-d of miracles. He can restore what has been broken, he can heal the broken hearted, as long as we put out trust in Him.

EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

Some South Florida residents thought they witnessed a miraculous sign from above on Wednesday, when a cloud bearing a striking resemblance to an angel appeared shortly after a new pope was selected at the Vatican, according to WPTV in Florida. Many grabbed cameras to document the visage, snapping shots of the pink-hued cloud, which many WPTV viewers believed was a message from God.

Still, some experts think there's a more earthly explanation for the cloud phenomenon. NBC News spoke with Ian Loxley, photo gallery editor for the Cloud Appreciation Society, who explained, "It could be cirrus, if high enough; however, it appears to be lower than the background altocumulus, which is the teaser. My best shot would be a virga remnant from an aircraft contrail."

So, why do people think they saw an otherworldly shape in the cloud? As Alan Boyle, science editor for NBC News, explains, humans experience a type of pattern recognition known as pareidolia (a Greek word meaning "wrong shape"), meaning we are so prone to recognizing faces and other human patterns, that we often associate them to inanimate objects. Consider for a moment folks who see the face of Jesus in a piece of burnt toast or even the man in the moon.

As for whether the cloud is a virga remnant or a sign of God's approval of a pope's selection -- well, we'll leave that to the eye of the beholder.

Georg Gaenswein: The Pope's right hand man

Georg Gaenswein: The Pope's right hand man

This is what " happy " looks like !

Daddy's taking his girls out to dinner..happy happy!  This is what HAPPY looks like ~

Bladder Reflux Treatment Research

Endoscopic treatment of vesicoureteral reflux