MS Maze

“My mission ended very differently than I had expected, but I did not fail. I have attempted Everest twice. I took multiple sclerosis (MS) to the highest it would allow me to go. As the medical staff at base camp have documented, the bar has been set. I am a mountaineer, an adventurer, an explorer. And I’m not done yet.” – Wendy Booker, May 2010

Wendy Booker was on a mission to be the first person with MS to climb The Seven Summits — the highest mountains on each continent. Although she has been unable to conquer Everest physically, she has most definitely conquered it in spirit.

Read this post in its entirety:

Wendy Booker, Mountain Climber with MS: “I’m Not Done Yet”

Photo courtesy of Wendy Booker

The Gates Foundation is pledging to spend $1.5 billion over the next five years to support maternal and child health, family planning, and nutrition programs in developing countries.

At a June 7 Women Deliver conference in Washington, D.C., Melinda French Gates said that maternal, child, and reproductive health should be a global priority.

“The world must come together to save women’s and children’s lives,” said Gates. “In poor countries, pregnancy and childbirth often end in tragedy. Our goal must be to build a world where every birth brings joy and hope for the future.”

Read this post in its entirety:

Gates Foundation Pledges $1.5 Billion for Global Maternal and Child Health

Photo used under the Creative Commons Attribution License, with thanks to World Economic Forum

Seniors: Your check is in the mail and the donut hole will be completely closed by 2020.

“Medicare isn’t just something you’re entitled to when you reach 65, it’s something that you’ve earned. It’s a sacred and inviolable trust between you and your country.” – President Obama, June 8, 2010

With mid-terms looming and confusion about health care reform still a problem, the administration is looking to clear things up, especially for seniors. Some of the strongest opposition to health care reform comes from seniors who are frightened by misinformation about death panels.

On Tuesday, June 8, The White House launched a national campaign to combat fraud and misinformation and deliver the facts to seniors regarding Medicare and the Patient Affordable Care Act.

Read this post in its entirety:

What’s New in Health Care Reform? Seniors, your check is in the mail

A streak of vanity? Guilty as charged. Foolishly attempting to live up to the narrow standard of beauty set by our culture? Not on your life. Not when I was 20 years old, and certainly not now that I am 50.

Do you ever get the feeling that somewhere out there is a mold of what a woman should look like… and that what you see in the mirror bears no resemblance to that mold? However our standards of beauty have come together, I’m not falling for it.

Read this post in its entirety:

Are you worshiping at the altar of physical beauty?

Photo: copyright PhotoXpress.com

In a previous Ruminations, I mentioned my “husband block,” a paralyzing fear of showing my memoir-in-progress to my husband, even though he has a large role in the story.

At 50,000 words and the outline for the ending in place, I figured it was now or never. It is no exaggeration to say that I was experiencing absolute terror as he began to read.

It turns out that my outrageously over-the-top anxiety was for naught. He likes it… he really likes it… and believes a literary agent will bite… and that a publisher with publish it… and that somebody other than ourselves will read it…

He is rarely wrong about such things. As I barrel toward the conclusion I have new energy and enthusiasm for seeing this project through to its conclusion. Sweet.

What I’ve been up to lately:

Are you worshiping at the altar of physical beauty? Do you ever get the feeling that somewhere out there is a mold of what a woman should look like… and that what you see in the mirror bears no resemblance to that mold? However our standards of beauty have come together, I’m not falling for it.

Big Tobacco Says Anti-Smoking Ads Violate First Amendment Rights It’s not easy to picture the big tobacco companies in the role of victim. Philip Morris USA, Lorillard Inc., and RJ Reynolds Tobacco are suing New York City for violating their First Amendment rights.

Rhythm Method Popular Among Sexually Active Teens Forty-two percent of teenagers say they have engaged in sexual intercourse — and a lot of them say they are using the rhythm method of birth control.

How to Control Teen Drinking: Parents Matter: It should come as no surprise. Parents who disapprove of teen alcohol use completely tend to have students who drink less once in college. Teens who have more permissive parents when it comes to teenage drinking have a higher risk factor for later binge drinking.

This one is from last week, but if you missed it, please take a moment to meet an amazing man: Edward Janus, Passionate Online Activism at its Finest: When life drops a mountain in front of you, you can give up or you can forge a path around it. Edward Janus chooses the path every time, all the while trying to help the disabled through online activism.

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Contact: writer@webcampone.com

WebCamp One, LLC: Full-service website design, management, and development company with clients throughout the USA and Canada. Expert in standards compliant website design. From website management to freelance writing, we’ve got the web covered. Visit: WebCamp One on Facebook.

It’s not easy to picture the big tobacco companies in the role of victim.

Philip Morris USA, Lorillard Inc., and RJ Reynolds Tobacco are suing New York City for violating their First Amendment rights by mandating anti-smoking advertisements, alleging that the city law restricts their ability to communicate about lawful products.

Read this post in its entirety and check out the poll results:

Big Tobacco Says Anti-Smoking Ads Violate First Amendment Rights

Photo: nyc.gov

Forty-two percent of teenagers say they have engaged in sexual intercourse — and a lot of them say they are using the rhythm method of birth control.

A survey released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and prevention says that a growing number of teenagers are using the rhythm method of birth control — that is avoiding sexual intercourse during fertile days.

Read this article in its entirety:

Rhythm Method Popular Among Sexually Active Teens

Photo: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/544232

A lot of people are loathe to join Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, or any other online activity. An often cited reason is that they’ve heard it is addictive and an enormous timesuck. Others look down upon the activity as useless.

I beg to disagree. Not that social networking sites can’t be those things, but because they don’t have to be. Like most things in life, they are best used in moderation.

Facebook, for instance, has many third-party apps and games. Some of the games require constant attention and from what I hear, get quite involved. If you’ve got the time and you find such things pleasant, no harm done. I use Facebook to stay in touch with people I rarely or never get to see face-to-face and for connecting with new people in order to share information. Most days, I spend about 15 minutes or so checking in on Facebook, even fewer on Linkedin, which is geared more toward career connections.

If you are a writer, an avid reader, or news junkie, Twitter is a great source of articles and can be used for networking and promoting your own work. You don’t have to follow the blatherers who insist on tweeting every thought that comes into their heads or every item they intend to ingest. If you carefully choose who you follow, you’ll be fine. Some days I have no time for Twitter, others I check in often. Either way, I’m in control of my own time.

Not all of us who make use of social networking sites are frittering away our time aimlessly. Some of us are being productive and using it for both work and pleasure.

We are not helpless in the face of social networking. The bottom line is you get out what you put in.

My latest on Care2:

Edward Janus, Passionate Online Activism at its Finest: When life drops a mountain in front of you, you can give up or you can forge a path around it. Edward Janus chooses the path every time. “In my own little way, I am trying to help the disabled and others with my online activism.” You’ve got to read this man’s story!

Are We Losing Our Empathy? College students are less empathetic than college students of the past. At least that’s what University of Michigan researchers have concluded. Who or what is to blame for the apparent loss of empathy? After all, the study participants are the offspring of those more empathetic college kids from the 70’s and 80’s.

Warning: Dining Out May Result in Extreme Eating: Extreme calories, extreme fat, extreme sodium, extreme portions…Would you order a meal if you knew it contained more calories than you should eat all day?

Insurance Medical Loss Ratio: Profit vs. Patient Care: Insurers have proven themselves to be a powerful lobby and maximizing profits is the ultimate goal. Consumer advocates have their work cut out for them on this one.

Read More
Care2 Healthy & Green Living
Care2 Causes

Connect: Facebook – LinkedIn – Twitter

Contact: writer@webcampone.com

WebCamp One, LLC: Full-service website design, management, and development company with clients throughout the USA and Canada. Expert in standards compliant website design. From website management to freelance writing, we’ve got the web covered. Visit: WebCamp One on Facebook.

It turns out that parents and rules really do matter.

Alcohol researcher Caitlin Abar from Pennsylvania State University says that how parents deal with teenagers when it comes to alcohol makes a difference.

Her study, as reported by NPR, included 300 teenagers and their parents and found that parents who disapproved of teen alcohol use completely tended to have students who drank less once in college. Teens who have more permissive parents when it comes to teenage drinking had a higher risk factor for later binge drinking.

read article: How to Control Teen Drinking: Parents Matter

Photo used under the Creative Commons Attribution License, with thanks to bradleypjohnson