Lots of News for Easter Sunday

First of all, even though it puts a damper on Easter Egg hunts outside today, we are getting a much needed rain around Texas. Things have been bone dry, leading up to the many wild fires, that have left so many without homes, and even took the lives of at least three people here in TX. Then we have the horrible tornadic storms that have plagued many states. From TN, NC, OK, AR and more thousands have again lost everything to Mother Natures ills that she gives us at times. The devastation looks more like a war zone, rather than tornado's it is so bad.

Then we have the "Preacher's granddaughter" in Oakland that they suspect heavily she was the one that killed and put that little girl Sandra in a suitcase! What a gruesome situation. You have to wonder what is going on inside of a person's head that does those sort of things. I have to wonder if people just jump off the deep end in a moment's blink of an eye, or are they just already mentally disturbed, possibly have been for years, and methodically plan this sort of horrendous behavior for a long time. I cannot fathom taking anyone's life what so ever, much less a child.

You would think family and friends would have seen warning signs that this woman was totally whacked in the head.



Here is the URL to the story:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/11/BANH1713V5.DTL&tsp=1

How is it possible, even on the day that Sandra Cantu, the little girl missing, can that woman walk around, visiting her own family, knowing what she has or was going to do? I just in my own frame of mind, cannot get a grip on any reason. I believe this woman had a child of her own also.

Even at the worst of my own journey through the pits of hell at times, I would never have an inkling to harm anyone. I guess I just do not have a criminal mindset. This woman should be punished to the full extent of the law. Hopefully, even though it will not bring Sandra Cantu back, justice will prevail so the family can have closure.

I fear things are going to get much worse, as one article I read this morning claims, about Domestic Violence, violence against others, such as a work place, where someone suffers a layoff due to the economy, and people just are so totally stressed out, more than ever, there is always a breaking point for everyone. That does not mean they may commit murder or suicide, but the realms of depression can cost them dearly... it destroys your quality of life, leaving you even more down and out, when bad things happen, such as losing a job, money matters, family matters, and all people are enduring not just here but around the entire globe. Violence is everywhere, from the drug cartels in Mexico, that are spilling over our borders in TX, NM, AZ, CA and more, to the massive killings of suicide bombers overseas, now the Pirates of Somali that pose a dangerously lethal situation to all ships in that area. No one is immune and it seems that none of the countries that have been hit by these new bread of pirates can do a thing but pay ransom. I saw where the FBI is involved, but there is truly little course of action, even from the UN.

From there, Mother Nature had reeked havoc with floods, tornado's and terrible weather. From OK, TX, TN, SC and more, these storms have left many towns flattened like a pancake, with nothing left from the rubble. The wildfires have ravaged OK and TX, killing one family in their midst. Again, there are thousands left homeless by these raging fires, that they said produced wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour, making the fire storms even more dangerous. From mudslides, to drought it is so bad in many places as far as weather related situations are concerned. The thing about that is, it is not really tornado season yet. I fear the worst is yet to come as far as weather woes. I believe they have predicted at least 7 hurricanes for the next season, which is many.

Then of course there is the financial, economical, and downfall from Wall Street to Main Street. Prices of things we need such as food, shelter, and basic needs continue to rise price wise. People are losing jobs at the highest rates since the late 20's and 30's, causing much more than a deep recession as I see it. More like a depression, yet they fear not to say that word, since people would panic already worse than they have. People are supposedly holding onto their money, but when I go to Wal Mart and see people with two baskets of stuff overflowing, I have to wonder if they are holding onto their money, or having to save up, then go and by a big bill of items to last them throughout the time, until they get another paycheck. It is just the two of us, and Tazz, our pug, yet our grocery bills have sky rocketed. I cannot imagine trying to feed hungry kids these days.

People are doing without lots of things, from prescription medications and doctors care, to clothing, vacations, home projects, and more. They are not out there purchasing big ticket items such as cars, huge flat screen TV's, less name brand products being bought,thus going to generic which is cheaper.

So far, as I feel our own Higher Power is doing, Jim's business has picked up. I feel, as he does people are looking for new routes for their businesses. So, those that are not online with a web site, are coming that direction, and those already that have websites, are making them bigger, better, more user friendly, adding features such as gift cards, wish lists, blogs, discussion boards and much more. We both definitely feel extremely blessed that their are jobs coming in, as well as gaining a few new clients. So far, they are also paying fairly quickly, so that helps also.

Yet, between house and car insurance, along with paying cash for Jim's medications and doctors visits, the high price of everything around us, it seems no matter how we micro-manage our money, we could always use more. I guess that is just how it is. Luckily, for us, we already have been penny pinchers, frugal, or just call me down right cheap! I have watched our small budget for ever now... clipping coupons, watching for sales, buying generic, watching how we run errands to get them done, but saving time and gas in how I run them. We have always been those that don't mind shopping at the $ Tree, and the dollar stores around. We, even though don't like some of Wal-Marts ethics for their employees and other things, have had to shop there, getting more for our buck. Of course, that is just about the only place to shop for many items in this small town. Our city manager has made darned sure, that Ennis does not get any other stores. It is either HEB for groceries or Super 1, or Wal-Mart as far as many products.

Other things weigh on my mind, good and bad. The happy news is the official First Puppy has made it to the White House for a wondrous Easter present. :) Much of the rest of the news is not so pleasant, even here on Easter Sunday.

I got to visit, and put out new flowers at my Dad's grave and my grandparents. That made me feel good, and it appears we may be able to go full force with our new garden and flower beds around the house. I think we have gotten enough funds in from clients to purchase a tiller and possibly a new grill, since ours had to be trashed at the end of last Summer. It survived at least 20 years... so it was more than time to trash it and get a new one.

Spring approaches, and the signs are all around. From lots of pollen in the air, to the migration of many birds, things greening up, grass already getting tall... a warmth in the air... all signs of our next season...

I close for now... with a blessing of joy for this special day...

Rhia

Have a blessed and wonderful Easter!


With my thoughts, Rhia

Stem Cell Research - Possible breakthrough in treating MS

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_82747.html
Thursday, April 9, 2009

THURSDAY, April 9 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. scientists say they've coaxed human embryonic stem cells into generating cells that might someday be used to repair nerves damaged by multiple sclerosis.

The researchers pushed the stem cells to grow into critical nervous system support cells called oligodendrocytes, according to a report released Thursday.

Oligodendrocytes produce the myelin sheath that surrounds nerve fibers like wire insulation. The findings represent an important step toward embryonic stem cell-based therapies in general, experts say, and also for cell-based therapies for myelination disorders such as MS in particular. At the very least, the findings should lead to a laboratory model of the illness' pathology.

"They are definitely laying the groundwork for being able to apply these cells in terms of a therapeutic application," said Timothy Coetzee, executive director of Fast Forward, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, which partially funded the study.

Yet at the same time, he added, "It illustrated for me the critical importance of not assuming that because you can do something with a mouse cell, that a human cell is going to behave in the same manner."

The research was published in the May issue of the journal Development.

At the heart of this study is a fundamental question: What's the difference between mouse and man?

It's not as silly as it sounds. Human experimentation being both morally and legally forbidden, researchers often use model organisms such as mice as proxies for human development. The underlying assumption, of course, is that these organisms have fundamentally the same biology as we do. Sometimes, though, that assumption turns out to be wrong.

For years, researchers using mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) knew that if they added one of two proteins, FGF2 or SHH, to the cells' growth media, they could reliably induce those cells to become oligodendrocytes. The human application was obvious: ESC-derived oligodendrocytes could either be used directly as a cell therapy for MS and related diseases, or serve as research tools to study them.

But, when Dr. Su-Chun Zhang of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who has been studying oligodendrocytes and myelination for nearly a quarter-century, tried to apply the culture conditions painstakingly worked out in rodents to human cells, oligodendrocytes failed to emerge.

"When we expand these [rodent] progenitor cells with FGF2 (and another factor called PDGF), these progenitor cells will become oligodendrocytes," Zhang said. But, "What we discovered was that when we did [the experiment] in the same way with human progenitor cells, they were blocked in this process."

By carefully dissecting the molecular events that occur as human ESCs differentiate first into neural stem cells, then neural progenitor cells, then pre-oligodendrocytes, and finally mature oligodendrocytes, Zhang and his team identified the source of the difference: While both rodents and humans control the process with the same regulatory circuitry and use the same molecules (including both FGF2 and SHH), FGF2 behaves differently in each species.

In mice, FGF2 promotes oligodendrocyte maturation; in humans, it inhibits the process.

"This finding is actually quite significant scientifically," said Zhang, "because even [though] the transcriptional network is more or less the same, yet they respond to the same factor in an opposite way. To me, that's quite extraordinary."

Once that simple fact was understood, the experiment could be tweaked so that human embryonic stem cells could, in fact, generate oligodendrocytes.

The study, said Coetzee, "just reinforces the absolute importance of being able to do some of this very fundamental biology and fundamental understanding of what human cells do, before you start experimenting with them to put them into people."

Dr. William Sheremata is professor of neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He sees many MS patients in his practice and called the study "an excellent example of work that is very carefully done by an expert group of people who really know what they are doing. So I think that the conclusion that FGF2 does not work to facilitate maturation of pre-oligodendrocytes is acceptable at face value. It is the first paper that has stated just that."

Sheremata questioned the therapeutic implications of the report, however, suggesting that therapies based on "autologous stem cells" (adult stem cells) were more likely to bear fruit.

Coetzee, though, called the findings "absolutely critical" to moving toward clinical applications for MS, whether directly by injection of mature oligodendrocytes or more primitive precursor cells, because it both enables researchers to grow large quantities of these cells and to molecularly define the process by which that happens.

"This actually begins to lay the foundation for envisioning having the ability to create the mass quantities of stem cells that you'd need in order to have a therapeutic application in MS," he said.

(courtesy of Medline Plus)

Stress - Help - Tough Economic Worries - Places to get help

I have already written several posts about stress, the economy, domestic violence, anxiety, and how the loss of jobs, the economic drama, and what is going on in our country and around the world have caused huge jumps in issues for families, co-workers, and innocent people. Here are some places to go online to find help...

http://www.samhsa.gov/economy/ (Dept of Human Services)

http://www.apahelpcenter.org/articles/article.php?id=171

http://www.nmha.org/ (Mental Health America)

http://www.nami.org/ (National Alliance of Mental Health)

http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ (Suicide Prevention Hotline)


Each of us need to make sure we know the warning signs of severe anxiety, depression, and the issues surrounding us these days. It is already very apparent more and more people are becoming to the extremes when it comes to being distraught over their jobs, homes, bills and family. We need more than ever to take an active roll in the state of mind not only we are in, but our family members, co-workers, friends, and even those surrounding us in daily places we go.

Rhia

Robert Greenwald - Rethink Afghanistan

Robert Greenwalk recently made a historic trip to Afghanistan to film some of the richest homes that are filled with drug lords, and those corrupt in the police and government. This combined with Pakistan is making for a dangerous situation more than we think.

Here is a link to his video, along with several others so you can see for yourself.

http://rethinkafghanistan.com/

There is also a petition to sign urging Congress to rethink the entire situation and make sure our nation as well as all that are innocent and not involved in this mess in the Middle East are safe.

Stress

I got this from a friend and found it quite appropriate due to what is going on around our world due to the stress that is causing so many to break, and do harm to themselves, family members and others. Please read this and I hope it helps you to know you can lay your burdens down.

A lecturer when explaining stress management to an audience,
Raised a glass of water and asked
"How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter.
It depends on how long you try to hold it.

If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.

If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.

If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.

In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

He continued,

"And that's the way it is with stress management.

If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later,

As the burden becomes increasingly heavy,

We won't be able to carry on. "

"As with the glass of water,

You have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again.

When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."

"So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down .

Don't carry it home.

You can pick it up tomorrow.

Whatever burdens you're carrying now,

Let them down for a moment if you can."

So, my friend, Put down anything that may be a burden to you right now.

Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while.

Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

* Accept that some days you're the pigeon,
And some days you're the statue.
*Always keep your words soft and sweet,
Just in case you have to eat them.

* Always read stuff that will make you look good
If you die in the middle of it.

* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be
Recalled by their maker.

* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again,
It was probably worth it.

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply be kind to others.

* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time,
Because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

* Nobody cares if you can't dance well.
Just get up and dance.

* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

* The second mouse gets the cheese.

* When everything's coming your way,
You're in the wrong lane.

* Birthdays are good for you.
The more you have, the longer you live.

* You may be only one person in the world,
But you may also be the world to one person.

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

* We could learn a lot from crayons... Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

Have an awesome day and know that someone has thought about you today...I did.

Joining the Race to Stop Domestic Violence

Now, more than ever, we need so many more ways to fight the epidemic of Domestic Violence, Violence Against Children and Humans. With our economic downfall, job loss, the loss of people's home, and all they worked for their lives going away in the blink of an eye, has already caused our news to be filled with grim scenes of what stress can cause. The number of murder-suicide rates in our nation alone has been staggering just over the past 10 days. We have had such situations across the nation in California, Illinois, New York, Alabama, just to name a few over the last couple of days in the news. I fear this will get much worse for many reasons. Now people are unable to get their medications that may effect their mental stability due to loss of insurance or not able to afford to pay for it or their medications. The undue stress to Father's and Mom's is sending some to the breaking point, after losing a job they worked at for many years, then at once finding themselves jobless, headed for homeless, and despair sets in. We need so much more education for law officials handling Domestic Violence issues. We also need help for those who are suffering from thoughts of ending their lives, and the lives of their families due to the despair they are in. Please join me in the fight against Domestic and Human Violence with a daily free click at the link below. You can also do so much more at the Amnesty website ( http://www.amnestyusa.org/violence-against-women/action/page.do?id=YIA0039035000E)


Join Care2.com's Race to Stop Violence Against Women!


I urge you to take a moment and add your daily free clicks that help to serve many awesome causes. The Main free-click daily link for Care2 is (http://www.care2.com/click2donate/).

You taking a moment each morning to add your free click will help immensely with things such as Domestic Violence, Animal Cruelty, Saving our Oceans, Helping to save Seals, Helping to sponsor children, helping the fight against Breast Cancer, feeding Primates, and much more.

It is time for each of us to take responsibility, step up to the plate and do something positive for our nation, our world and humanity. It costs you nothing to do these free daily clicks, but it certainly is a positive step towards so many wonderful and much needed causes.

Rhia

Are We A Nation Numb to Humanity?

I had just questioned this myself over the past couple of weeks. The daily escalation of violence, domestic violence, and murder suicide is almost beyond comprehension for me. Most of us felt we might see a rise in suicide due to the state people are in. We are a stressed, saddened, and depressed people, longing for jobs, homes, and life to return to normal. Money, homes, jobs, caring for family, bills pile up that we cannot pay, all leading to people coming to the brink. Some just can no longer handle the amount of stress. But, what about those around? What about the warning signs we should be seeing in these people? Possibly there are few, or we just do not see them, or in fear that we do. We are wrapped up in our own dilemma of life, we are fearful to get involved, we are a people under duress, here and around the world. Here is a news article about this very subject. What can we do to help those who are coming to a place and state of mind, they feel the need to murder their own families, or those around them, then kill themselves???
A Nation under Duress for sure...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30046195/

I am quite sure everyone has heard about the latest nightmare of violence, plaguing our nation and our world. This past 10 days have been filled with those desperate that just take it out on innocent people.

The slaughter in New York yesterday, is one more of those things that I have a difficult time understanding. Yet, I realize with the loss of jobs, home, financial security, the depression, anxiety, and hopelessness people feel thoughout this nation and around the globe are sending them into a state of mind that is frightening. 13 dead in New York from a man, a family in CA in a murder suicide, IL, GA, NC, the stories are rolling in each day of how things are becoming too much for some to handle.

My hopes are that as friends, family, neighbors, and so forth, that we take an active role in watching for the signs of those who are so desperate, they would take their own lives, and/or the lives of others due to dire circumstances.

Their are tell tale signs and warnings... and I feel it should be our conviction to help someone that you may feel is this hopeless about life.

The rate of violence, to families, churches, places of work, public places and on will continue to escalate due to all we are going through. It should be our conviction to help if we see a situation that might turn into one of these.

Happy Saturday to All, Rhia

Welcome! I had been working on this blog trying to get blogger software up and going. It seems as if I have accomplished that for now. About Rhia? A great deal of things. I am a poet and writer at heart, including music lyrics. I am also passionate about music, including alternative, rock, blues and country. I love web design and development as a hobby, plus much more. I play the piano, keyboard, the drums and sing. I am continually looking for something new to do, guess I bore easily. I am a lover of people, and am a strong Advocate for several issues, including Domestic Violence, Violence against Women, Breast Cancer, Chronic Pain and Illness, as well as several issues about politics and government. I am 49, was born in a small town in TX, lived in CA and Seattle WA for about 7 years all together, and have a "fur-kid" my pug, named Tazz.

I will add more to this daily.