Diabetes and Your Heart (infographic) | Care2 Healthy Living

Did you know that two out of three people with diabetes actually die from heart disease or stroke? Fortunately, there are steps you can take to lower that risk. Studies show that people with diabetes can lower their risk of heart problems by following the ABCs of diabetes.

A: A1C test
The A1C test shows what your blood glucose has been over the last three months. The A1C goal for many people is below 7. High blood glucose levels can harm your heart and blood vessels, kidneys, feet, and eyes.

B: blood pressure
The goal for most people is 130/80. High blood pressure makes your heart work too hard. It can cause heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease.

C: cholesterol
The LDL goal for most people is less than 100. LDL is the ?bad? cholesterol that can build up and clog your blood vessels, causing heart attack or stroke. The HDL goal for most people is above 40. HDL is the ?good? cholesterol that helps remove cholesterol from your blood vessels.

February is American Heart Month. If you have diabetes, take action now to reduce your risk for heart attack and stroke. Ask your doctor how you can lower your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol.

In addition to the ABC list, people with diabetes can lower their risk of cardiovascular disease by:

• maintaining a healthy weight
• engaging in regular exercise
• maintaining a healthy diet:
  • foods low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars
  • lean meats, poultry, fish, nuts (in small amounts), fat-?free or low-?fat milk and milk products
  • fiber ? whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and dry peas and beans
• not smoking ? smoking is one of the major risk factors associated with heart attack and stroke
• taking medications as directed ? and ask your doctor about taking daily aspirin
• asking family and friends to support you in your goals

If someone you love has diabetes, take the time to learn more and ask what you can do to help.

Infographic courtesy of the NDEP, a federally funded program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services? National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The NDEP includes over 200 partners at the federal, state, and local levels working together to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with diabetes by changing the way diabetes is treated.

For more information about diabetes, visit: NDEP

Related Reading
Shocking Truth about Women and Heart Disease
5 Natural Health Tips for Type 2 Diabetes Prevention
Just a Little Heart Attack (video)

Source: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/diabetes-and-your-heart-infographic.html

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How Do Children Benefit from Working With Authors? | Write Away ...

Write Away With Me launched a new program today titled The Writer?s Masterclass. This program brings children together with authors for storytelling, writing, cartooning and more. ?Our first program features the very talented Jackie Kerin and Adam Wallace. This program is something I have been planning now for some time. At The Writer?s Club, I?ve seen first hand, the positive influence a guest author has on young writers. I also know how much I love the opportunity to listen to authors speak about their work. And of course I?m passionate about anything that inspires children to connect with books and writing! But before I got down to the nitty gritty of organising the program, I focused on what was in it for the kids. How would they benefit from coming to a day like this? ?So here I?ve listed six powerful outcomes (I?m sure there are plenty more) that occur when children come together and work alongside their favourite authors. It really does make a difference!

1)
It develops a strong relationship between the reader / writer and deepens a child?s literary experience.

?It?s a great thrill to meet the person who wrote the books you enjoy reading. As readers, it helps us form that important bond with the writing and makes reading a more personal and fulfilling experience. In this small group experience, children will naturally have the opportunity to ask lots of questions and personalise the writing process. Where did the author get their ideas for that scene? Where do they look for inspiration? Because books are such a magical ?out of world? experience, we sometimes forget that the business of writing books, is in fact, very real and the people that do it so well, have much to share with us.

2)
It enriches and extends children?s writing skills.?

It is often said that the best way to become a better writer is to read widely ? across many topics and genres. But like adults, some children prefer a particular kind of book and need encouragement to branch out and read something different. Meeting and working alongside authors can certainly influence and expand children?s reading habits. I know I read my first science fiction book after listening to an author speak passionately about their work.

3)
It ignites children?s imaginations and allows them to experience ?story? in a very real and immediate way.

There is nothing more inspiring as a writer, than to be swept away by the magic of storytelling and experience what Tolkien describes as ?the secondary world?. Whilst cartooning will feature in Adam?s storytelling, Jackie is a Kamishibai master and never short of an interesting tale to tell. (She is also a talented artist!) Storytelling will therefore play an important part in the workshops. Writing activities will also focus on generating lots of ideas and story plans so children?s creativity and imagination will get a complete workout!

4)
It exposes children to a variety of different literary voices and writing styles.?

Jackie Kerin?s books have a strong Australian flavour whilst Adam?s stories showcase the genre of humorous writing. Their books totally engage young readers but their styles are so different. The Writer?s Masterclass exposes children to a range of literary voices, writing styles and genres, enabling children to add new skills and techniques to their writing repertoire.

5)
It stimulates and excites creative young minds.?

Childhood is a wonderful time to absorb and collect all sorts of ideas about people and the world. It?s also an important time to encourage a child?s creativity. This is an opportunity for children to meet with like minded peers, find their ?tribe? and begin a lifelong appreciation of literature and the arts.

6)
It inspires young writers and encourages them to take their talent, their writing projects and their ambitions seriously.?

I often hear children say they want to be writers when they grow up but they?re not always sure what this actually involves. Does a writer lock themselves away all day, tapping on their computer? By working alongside their favourite authors, asking questions and listening to their stories, children will unravel the writing process and discover just how writers fill their days from generating ideas, drafting stories, writing, editing and marketing their books.

The Writer?s Masterclass is in Melbourne (Oakleigh) on April 11th 2013 for children aged 7-13 years of age. You can download The Writer?s Masterclass Flyer which details the day?s program. Please feel free to spread the word and pass this information on to anyone you know who might like to attend.

It?s going to be a day to remember!

Source: http://www.writeawaywithme.com/general/how-do-children-benefit-from-working-with-authors/

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Theory of crystal formation complete again

Feb. 19, 2013 ? Exactly how a crystal forms from solution is a problem that has occupied scientists for decades. Researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), together with researchers from Germany and the USA, are now presenting the missing piece. This classical theory of crystal formation, which occurs widely in nature and in the chemical industry, was under fire for some years, but is saved now. The team made this breakthrough by detailed study of the crystallization of the mineral calcium phosphate -the major component of our bones.

The team recently published their findings in the online journal Nature Communications.

Crystallization is the formation of a solid ordered substance, such as happens when water freezes. In nature, crystals are mostly formed from ions which are dissolved in water, as for example in the formation of shells or bone. This involves the clustering of ions into increasingly large nuclei, until a crystal is formed when a certain size is reached. However, the details of this growth process have been the subject of discussion for many years.

According to the existing theories, it is individual ions that group together to form crystal nuclei. But in 2009 chemists led by dr. Nico Sommerdijk (TU/e) showed the presence of an intermediate step in the growth process of calcium carbonate crystals. The ions were thought to first form small clusters, which then grow into crystal nuclei. This finding, which was the cover story of Science, caused controversy because it appeared to contradict the classical crystallization theories which did not allow for such an intermediate step.

Now Sommerdijk is having second thoughts about his 2009 conclusions. At least, the answer now turns out to be more subtle than was thought at that time. Together with researchers from the Max Planck Institute in Germany and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the USA, he looked more closely at the role of these so-called pre-nucleation clusters in the growth process of the mineral calcium phosphate. Using a cryo-electron microscope, which makes images of deep-frozen samples, he was able to identify the precise components of the clusters and study the growth process in detail.

In their article in Nature Communications Sommerdijk concludes that the clusters do not form a clearly defined intermediate step, but instead are part of a gradual growth process. Sommerdijk refers to the formation of clusters as a 'false start' by the ions, because the clusters already start to organize themselves step by step while still in solution, without actually forming growth nuclei. This new understanding means the existing theories no longer need to be overturned. Sommerdijk's team now complete the theory by describing alternative 'pathways' along which crystals can form. Sommerdijk's new conclusions have since been confirmed in a second study into crystal formation in the mineral magnetite, which was published online this month in Nature Materials.

In recent years both the role and the composition of the pre-nucleation clusters were the subject of intense scientific discussions, for example last summer during the Faraday Discussions. There were also disagreements within the team itself about Sommerdijk's new interpretation. Some team members held onto the original scenario, even after numerous new experiments had confirmed that the clusters did not have the same composition and role as believed earlier. Finally it was decided to submit the article, which after four years of experimenting and revision had reached a final length of almost 100 pages, without the names of the team members who were unable to accept the new ideas.

In Sommerdijk's view the most important questions about the formation of crystals have now been answered. This theoretical knowledge is important in many fields, because of the widespread occurrence of crystallization in nature and in the chemical industry. Just a few examples are the formation of coral in the sea, the production of pharmaceuticals and the design of nanoparticles. It could for example help to make production processes less costly, faster or more energy-efficient.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Eindhoven University of Technology, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal References:

1. Jens Baumgartner, Archan Dey, Paul H. H. Bomans, C?cile Le Coadou, Peter Fratzl, Nico A. J. M. Sommerdijk, Damien Faivre. Nucleation and growth of magnetite from solution. Nature Materials, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nmat3558
2. Wouter J. E. M. Habraken, Jinhui Tao, Laura J. Brylka, Heiner Friedrich, Luca Bertinetti, Anna S. Schenk, Andreas Verch, Vladimir Dmitrovic, Paul H. H. Bomans, Peter M. Frederik, Jozua Laven, Paul van der Schoot, Barbara Aichmayer, Gijsbertus de With, James J. DeYoreo, Nico A. J. M. Sommerdijk. Ion-association complexes unite classical and non-classical theories for the biomimetic nucleation of calcium phosphate. Nature Communications, 2013; 4: 1507 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2490

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/BPrz64p-XxM/130219140712.htm

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'Star Trek Into Darkness' Casts Light On Klingons

The forehead-heavy aliens are back, and director J.J. Abrams explains why in an interview with MTV News.
By Josh Wigler

J.J. Abrams
Photo: MTV News

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1702122/star-trek-into-darkness-klingons.jhtml

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Tropical Breakfast Smoothie Recipe (9.24.12 ? Day 43) Vegan Fruit ...

Smoothies are a quick and easy way to eat a lot of healthy foods, without a lot of hassle and taste if need be. The tropical breakfast smoothies I whipped up this morning contains 1 mango, 1 banana, 2 apples, and 12 cup almond milk. All you have to do is put the meat of each fruit into the blender with the almond milk and press blend. So easy. Find me: Twitter: twitter.com Facebook: www.facebook.com Pinterest: pinterest.com Blog: thesweetestvegan.com My other video recipes for smoothies: Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie Recipe www.youtube.com Strawberry Banana Smoothie Recipe www.youtube.com Peanut Butter and Jelly Smoothie Recipe www.youtube.com About Southern Queen of Vegan Cuisine Project Inspired by the Julie and Julia Project, the Southern Queen of Vegan Cuisine will take on the Paula Deen Southern Cooking Bible. Veganizing 328 butter-laden, pork-filled recipes in 328 days. This is a test . . . this is only a test of skill, imagination, and physical & mental fortitude.

Source: http://servingvegans.com/tropical-breakfast-smoothie-recipe-9-24-12-day-43-vegan-fruit-drink/

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Windows of New York

How much can a window reveal of the life of others? I remember pondering this as I walked on West End Avenue with a friend of mine this past holiday season. One?s eye can?t help but wander into the segments provided by facades, lighting, sounds, and smells. In one house, I remember, I saw a beautiful and perfectly lit Christmas tree. ?That?s the kind of Christmas tree I?d like to have in my house,? I said. Some other windows were a quite interesting sneak peak into the residential life of the Upper West Side: nannies, toys, television screens. Other windows told very little; some windows were shut. Whether there was a lot to learn from each or not, I came up with my own story for what I could and couldn?t see. Now, what?s a better segue to Jose Guizar?s ongoing (and online) project Windows of New York?

219 East 4th Street

Here at the studio, as many of you might have picked up on, we savor pretty much anything that?s somehow related to the city of New York. Guizar?s project, apart from the appealing graphics and cool idea, is also easily relatable. For starters, the unique design of each window is not at all one of a kind (for the most part). The architecture of the city often leaves me feeling like a sponge? absorbing, taking it all in without even realizing. To continue, Guizar includes an address under each illustration, which I?m not going to lie is pretty tempting to go out and gaze at. See for myself, you know?

186 Sullivan Street

113 Thompson Street

94 Bank Street

617 9th Avenue

461 West 47th Street

?

0

Source: http://alfalfastudio.com/windows-of-new-york/

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Guest Post: The Pareto Economy | Zero Hedge

Submitted by Charles Hugh Smith from Of Two Minds

The Pareto Economy

The Pareto distribution suggests that costs could be cut by 80% across the entire economy.

Economist Vilfredo Pareto's (1848 - 1923) data-driven discovery that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population led to the Pareto principle, known as the 80/20 rule. Research has turned up an astonishing range of natural and social examples of the 80/20 rule: fixing 20% of software bugs eliminates 80% of the tech support calls, 20% of the customers are responsible for 80% of the complaints, and so on.

The Pareto distribution is not a Newtonian law of precise prediction, it is a power law probability distribution: it projects probabilities and ranges, not exact numbers. For example, the top 25% of U.S. wage earners pay 87% of the Federal income taxes. The point is not precision but the basic distribution.

The 80/20 rule can be further reduced (80% of 80 is 64 and 20% of 20 is 4) to a 64/4 rule: the 4% "vital few" have outsized influence on the "trivial many" 64%. We can see the rough outlines of this distribution in income and taxes: The top 1% of taxpayers reported almost 17% of all taxable income and paid 37% of all income taxes; the top 5% reported 32% of all income and paid 59% of the taxes, and the top 10% earned 43% of the income and paid 70% of the taxes.

As I have often noted, most recently in The Fiscal Cliff's Structural Endgame (December 28, 2012), and Why the Middle Class Is Doomed (April 17, 2012), roughly 70% of all financial wealth is held by the top 5%. That is remarkably close to the 4%/64% distribution we would expect.

Can 4% of Homeowners Sink the Entire Market? (February 21, 2007) Answer: yes, 4% of mortgages defaulting collapsed the global housing bubble.

The Pareto distribution has another application: cost-benefit analyses. Though it is more difficult to substantiate than ownership of assets or taxation, we can estimate that accomplishing 20% of the standard diet/fitness recommendations yields 80% of the health benefits.

A small, simple house that costs 20% of the average U.S. new home reaps 80% of the benefits: privacy, ownership, a warm place to sleep, etc. (Having built a plywood cabin by hand in 1978 that is still doing duty, I would go further and say a dwelling that cost 4% of the average home construction cost provides 64% of the benefits, as long as minimal electricity and indoor plumbing are included.)

This distribution of costs and benefits has profound macro-economic consequences. The U.S. "healthcare" i.e. sickcare system costs twice as much per person as competing nations' healthcare and still leaves tens of millions of people uninsured or underinsured. Though those profiting from sickcare will of course deny it, we can project that spending 20% of the current wasteful cartel/crony-capitalist system's budget would accrue 80% of the beneficial healthcare.

We can go on to project that 20% of the defense budget accrues 80% of the actual national defense provided by the U.S. military (as opposed to cartel/crony-capitalist weapons procurement and Imperial over-reach).

The applications of the Pareto distribution are endless and extremely thought-provoking. 80% of the potholes could be filled with 20% of the city street-repair budget. 20% of the food harvested could provide a nutritionally adequate diet for 80% of the people. (if you doubt this, recall that we waste an estimated 40% of our food and food products output, and it takes 3 to 15 pounds of harvested fish to grow one pound of farmed fish.)

What if 20% of the time spent in meetings produce 80% of the work/decisions?

Does anyone seriously doubt that spending 20% of the conventional cost ($120,000) for a four-year college degree would yield 80% of the quantifiable education gained?

If one car is shared by five people, 20% of the cost of vehicle ownership yields 80% of the benefits of ownership.

You see the point: roughly 80% of the U.S. economy is waste, friction, skim, fraud, profiteering and diminishing-returns inefficiency. Any system that spends 80% of its surplus on diminishing returns is doomed to insolvency.

This terrifies the conventional economics cargo cult because it suggests the market/state cannot provide jobs to 95% of the working-age populace.

Within the high cost-basis Status Quo, this is true. Few can afford to hire workers to perform marginal-return work, and few people can afford the absurd costs of education, healthcare and housing.

The solution is to radically lower the cost of living (education, healthcare, housing, governance/government) and reinvigorate the forgotten foundation of human life, the community. I discuss this further in my most recent book, Why Things Are Falling Apart and What We Can Do About It.

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Source: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-02-17/guest-post-pareto-economy

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