On this day of your life, dear friend, I believe God wants you to know...
. ...that nothing is ever solved, or created, by standing still.
Movement is the process of the Universe. So move. Do something. Anything. But do not stand still. Do not remain"on the horns of a dilemma." Do not fence sit.
Put your foot down on one side or the other, swing the opposite leg over and start walking. You'll know before you take ten steps if you're going in the right direction. Not to decide is to decide. Try to not make choices by default.
You know exactly why you received this message today.
You are a child of the universe
You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Desiderata - Max Ehrmann c.1920
[Judaism, Islam and Christianity] -- and many others -- teach of a Creator who is separate from His creation. So, the message here that Tomorrow's God will be separate from nothing is a radical message. It is also a very important one. Perhaps the single most important message of the New Spirituality. And it is the one element that is missing from most of the world's theologies.
It is the Missing Message.
Because this message has been missing, humanity has been missing the mark in its attempts to create a world of peace and harmony and happiness, and religions have been missing the point of Life itself, causing millions of people to be missing the experience of Oneness with the Creator -- and with each other.
I want for you what you want for you. Nothing more, nothing less. I don't sit here and make a judgment, request by request, whether something should be granted you.
My law is the law of cause and effect, not the law of We'll See. There is nothing you can't have if you choose it. Even before you ask, I will have given it to you. Do you believe this?
If humanity adopted this Missing Message as its next new truth in religion -- just as it regularly adopts new truths in medicine, science, and technology -- the world could change overnight. For the idea that you and all humans are one with God and one with each other is psychologically and spiritually revolutionary.
Conversations With God, Book 1 Neale Donald Walsch Page 117
By Julie Steenhuysen Reuters - Thursday, July 24 12:19 am
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Eating a half serving a day of soy-based foods could be enough to significantly lower a man's sperm count, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.
The study is the largest in humans to look at the relationship between semen quality and a plant form of the female sex hormone estrogen known as phytoestrogen, which is plentiful in soy-rich foods.
"What we found was men that consume the highest amounts of soy foods in this study had a lower sperm concentration compared to those who did not consume soy foods," said Dr. Jorge Chavarro of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, whose study appears in the journal Human Reproduction.
"It was a relatively large difference," Chavarro said in a telephone interview.
Chavarro said studies in animals have linked high consumption of plant-derived estrogens known as isoflavones with infertility, but so far there has been little evidence of their effect in humans.
"We wanted to know if it would affect sperm production and could serve as a marker for the effects on the reproductive system," Chavarro said.
STRIKING DIFFERENCE
Chavarro's team analyzed the intake of 15 soy-based foods in 99 men who went to a fertility clinic between 2000 and 2006.
They were asked how much and how often in the prior three months they had eaten soy-rich foods including: tofu, tempeh, tofu or soy sausages, bacon, burgers and mince, soy milk, cheese, yogurt and ice cream, and other soy products such drinks, powders and energy bars.
Because different foods have different levels of isoflavones in them, the researchers set a standard for serving sizes of particular foods. Then they divided the men into groups according to soy consumption levels. Men in the highest group on average ate half a serving per day.
"In terms of their isoflavone content that is comparable to having one cup of soy milk or one serving of tofu, tempeh or soy burgers every other day," Chavarro said.
The difference was striking. Men in the highest intake category had 41 million sperm per millilitre less than men who ate no soy foods. A normal sperm count ranges from 80 million and 120 million per millilitre, and a sperm count of 20 million per millilitre or below is considered low.
"It suggests soy foods could have some deleterious effect on the reproductive system and especially on sperm production," Chavarro said.
The researchers found the association between soy foods and lower sperm count was stronger in overweight men, which might suggest hormones are playing a role.
"Men who are overweight or obese tend to have higher levels of androgen-produced estrogen. They are converting a male hormone into a female hormone in their fat. The more body fat you have, the more estrogen you produce in your fat," Chavarro said
Reading this reminded me of an article I read a few years ago warning about Soya.
How Safe Is Soya? by Susun S Weed Condensation of an article in NewLife Mag, May '96, by Sally Fallon, M.A. and Mary Enig, Ph.D.
With widespread concern about the possible unhealthy effects of commercial meat and cows' milk many more people than before are using soya products as substitutes for animal products. Soya products are supposed to be high protein, low calorie, devoid of cholesterol, and easy to digest. The authors disagree on most of these counts.
Soybeans were one of the five sacred grains in the Orient according to records dating back to before 1134. Agricultural reports speak frequently of using soybeans in crop rotation (to fix nitrogen and thus improve soil fertility) but there is no indication that soybeans were eaten until fermentation processes were discovered, sometime around 440 BCE. The first soya products eaten by people were tempeh, natto, miso, and shoyu tamari. And it was not until some centuries later (2nd century BCE) that the process of making tofu was discovered.
While it is true that the people of the Orient have relied heavily on tofu as a source of protein for about a thousand years, this is not necessarily by choice nor beneficial. The early Chinese did not eat soybeans, although they did eat other pulses, because they recognized the large quantities of a number of harmful substances which have been well studied scientifically. Some of the most detrimental are potent trypsin inhibitors which block the action of enzymes needed for protein digestion. Soybeans also contain hemagglutinin, which causes red blood cells to lump together.
Soybeans are also high in phytates, an organic acids which blocks the uptake of calcium, magnesium, iron, and especially zinc and contributes to widespread mineral deficiencies. In fact there are more phytates in soybeans than in any other grain, bean, or plant studied and these phytates are remarkably resistant to reduction techniques. Only a long period of fermentation will significantly reduce the phytate content of soybeans. The phytates and other anti-nutrients in soybeans are only partially deactivated during ordinary cooking and can produce gas, reduce protein digestion, and create chronic deficiencies in children.
Another way to moderate the harmful effects of tofu and other unfermented soybean products is to eat tofu with meat or fish, as is traditionally done in the Orient. Vegetarians - especially vegetarian children - who eat tofu and drink soya milk as substitutes for meat and dairy products are at very high risk of loss of bone mass and severe mineral deficiencies. Oriental children who eat soya but no meat, eggs, or dairy often suffer from rickets, stunted growth, and lowered intelligence. Unfermented soya virtually destroys all zinc in the body; and zinc is critical for optimal development and functioning of the brain, nervous system and immune system.
To what do we owe the current upsurge in use of soy products such as TVP and tofu in America? Most of the 140 billion pounds of soybeans raised in theUSA every year are made into animal feed or pressed into soya oil.
The soya industry has concentrated for 20 years on creating markets for the byproducts of soya oil manufacture: lecithin and soya protein. But these were generally (and rightly) considered "poverty foods" and rejected by most consumers.
The soy industry recognized that, according to a spokesman: "The quickest way to gain product acceptability in a less affluent market is to have the product consumed on its own merit by those who are more affluent." Thus these soy byproducts have been cleverly marketed to resemble traditional foods: soya milk malteds, soya baby formula, soya yogurt, soya ice cream, soya cheese, soya hot dogs, and so on. Let's face it: these are fake products, not health foods.
The production of soya milk does remove trypsin inhibitors, but at the expense of denaturing the proteins, making them indigestible, of creating a carcinogen, lysinealine, and of reducing the cystine content, an essential amino acid which is already very low in soybeans. The phytate content remains, further deranging the diet.
Soya formula and soya milk is often made with soya protein isolate, an extremely refined product lacking virtually all minerals and vitamins. Many soya formulas sold for infants are rich in trypsin-inhibitors which can stunt growth. And all contain staggering amounts of mineral-depleting phytates. The aluminum content of soya formula is 100 times greater than unprocessed milk. Aluminum has a toxic effects on infants kidneys and may be a cause of Alzheimer's in adults. Soya formula lack three important nutrients found in all milk: cholesterol, which is essential for brain development, and lactose and galactose, which play vital roles in the development and functioning of the nerves.
All is not what it seems with the supposed health benefits of soya. Allergies to soya are at least as common as allergies to milk. Nitrosamines, potent carcinogens often associated with meat, are found in high concentrations in all commercial soya protein foods. Isoflavones, anticarcinogenic sub-stances present in soybeans may have a pro-cancer effect when consumed unfermented. Although soybeans contain large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, these acids are particularly susceptible to rancidity when subjected to the high heat and pressure require to remove the oil from the bean; such rancidity promotes cancer and heart disease. Additionally, all soya oil is extracted with a solvent, traces of which remain in the oil.
In addition to containing anti-nutrients, soybeans lack these important nutritional elements (found in all animal products): cysteine, vitamin B12, vitamins A and D, and cholesterol. Consumption of unfermented soya products actually increases the body's needs for vitamin D and vitamin B12.
To summarize: traditional fermented soya products, especially when made with organic beans, are beneficial in the diet when combined with rice, sea foods, and fermented vegetables. The value of other soya products is questionable at best, disease causing at worst. The use of soya as a primary protein source is misguided.
21 tips for life ONE.Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully. TWO.Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other. THREE.Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want. FOUR.When you say, 'I love you,' mean it. FIVE.When you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the eye. SIX.Be engaged at least six months before you get married. SEVEN.Believe in love at first sight.
EIGHT.Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much. NINE.Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely. TEN..In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling. ELEVEN.Don't judge people by their relatives.
TWELVE.Talk slowly but think quickly.
THIRTEEN! ..When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, 'Why do you want to know?' FOURTEEN.Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk. FIFTEEN.Say 'bless you' when you hear someone sneeze. SIXTEEN.When you lose, don't lose the lesson. SEVENTEEN.Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions. EIGHTEEN..Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship. NINETEEN.When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice
Climate Change and Women from Oxfamhttp://www.oxfam.org.uk/get_involved/campaign/climate_change/sisters/index.html The impact of climate change on women As obvious as it sounds, climate change affects everybody. That means women, men, children – and all those polar bears you’ve seen on the TV. We’re all in this together.
But climate change is already having a disproportionate impact on people in developing countries, and it’s hitting women hardest.
It’s not the easiest idea to understand. After all, everyone gets affected during a flood.
Changes in weather and extreme weather events are being felt most in developing countries. This is because poor people rely more on natural resources, are more vulnerable to disaster and have fewer ways to protect themselves.
But because women tend to do the jobs that are most affected by changes in weather, they are feeling the greatest pressure.
It tends to be women who grow the family’s food, fetch fuel and water, and bring up the children. So when clean water becomes harder to find during a drought, or when crops are destroyed by floods, it’s up to women to find solutions.
As the weather becomes increasingly uncertain in many places, that can feel like a near-impossible task.
Men are badly hit too, of course, but because they tend to do fewer jobs that rely on natural resources, they are usually in a much stronger position to cope and rebuild their lives.
They are also more likely to be educated, to have savings, and to have skills to earn money. And if there is no work locally, they are able to migrate to other areas to find it.
So it’s actually fairly simple. Climate change is hitting women in the poorest countries hardest by exacerbating inequalities that already exist.
In some places, people are fighting back and women are leading the way. Like in Bangladesh, where women in poor communities are leading projects to raise homes and introduce early warning systems to help cope with increasingly severe floods.
But to tackle climate change on a global scale we all must play our part by changing our own lives and encouraging our friends and families – and the politicians who act in our names – to make a difference too.
We’re all in this together. We must all be part of the solution.
