Mediterranean Diet Shown to Ward Off Heart Attack and Stroke

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2013/02/25/science/video-tc-130225-diet/video-tc-130225-diet-articleLarge.jpg" /><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">About 30 percent of heart attacks, strokes and deaths from heart disease can be prevented in people at high risk if they switch to a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil, nuts, beans, fish, fruits and vegetables, and even drink wine with meals, a large and rigorous new study has found.</span><br /><br /><div itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;"><br /></div><div itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">The findings, <a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1200303?query=featured_home#t=article" style="color: #666699;" title="Article from The New England Journal of Medicine">published</a> on The <a class="meta-org" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/n/new_england_journal_of_medicine/index.html?inline=nyt-org" style="color: #666699;" title="More articles about New England Journal of Medicine">New England Journal of Medicine</a>’s Web site on Monday, were based on the first major clinical trial to measure the diet’s effect on heart risks. The magnitude of the diet’s benefits startled experts. The study ended early, after almost five years, because the results were so clear it was considered unethical to continue.</div><div itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">The diet helped those following it even though they did not lose weight and most of them were already taking statins, or <a class="meta-classifier" href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/test/blood-pressure/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" style="color: #666699;" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Blood Pressure.">blood pressure</a> or <a class="meta-classifier" href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/diabetes/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" style="color: #666699;" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Diabetes.">diabetes</a> drugs to lower their heart disease risk.</div><div itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">“Really impressive,” said Rachel Johnson, a professor of nutrition at the University of Vermont and a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association. “And the really important thing — the coolest thing — is that they used very meaningful endpoints. They did not look at risk factors like <a class="meta-classifier" href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/nutrition/cholesterol/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" style="color: #666699;" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Cholesterol.">cholesterol</a> or <a class="meta-classifier" href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/hypertension/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" style="color: #666699;" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Hypertension.">hypertension</a> or weight. They looked at heart attacks and strokes and death. At the end of the day, that is what really matters.”</div><div itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">Until now, evidence that the Mediterranean diet reduced the risk of heart disease was weak, based mostly on studies showing that people from Mediterranean countries seemed to have lower rates of heart disease — a pattern that could have been attributed to factors other than diet.</div><div itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">And some experts had been skeptical that the effect of diet could be detected, if it existed at all, because so many people are already taking powerful drugs to reduce heart disease risk, while other experts hesitated to recommend the diet to people who already had weight problems, since oils and nuts have a lot of calories.</div><div itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;"><a class="meta-classifier" href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/coronary-heart-disease/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" style="color: #666699;" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Heart Disease.">Heart disease</a> experts said the study was a triumph because it showed that a diet was powerful in reducing heart disease risk, and it did so using the most rigorous methods. Scientists randomly assigned 7,447 people in Spain who were overweight, were smokers, or had diabetes or other risk factors for heart disease to follow the Mediterranean diet or a low-fat one.</div><div itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">Low-fat diets have not been shown in any rigorous way to be helpful, and they are also very hard for patients to maintain — a reality borne out in the new study, said Dr. Steven E. Nissen, chairman of the department of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.</div><div itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">“Now along comes this group and does a gigantic study in Spain that says you can eat a nicely balanced diet with fruits and vegetables and olive oil and lower heart disease by 30 percent,” he said. “And you can actually enjoy life.”</div><div itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">The study, by Dr. Ramon Estruch, a professor of medicine at the University of Barcelona, and his colleagues, was long in the planning. The investigators traveled the world, seeking advice on how best to answer the question of whether a diet alone could make a big difference in heart disease risk. They visited the Harvard School of Public Health several times to consult Dr. Frank M. Sacks, a professor of cardiovascular disease prevention there.</div><div itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">In the end, they decided to randomly assign subjects at high risk of heart disease to three groups. One would be given a low-fat diet and counseled on how to follow it. The other two groups would be counseled to follow a Mediterranean diet. At first the Mediterranean dieters got more intense support. They met regularly with dietitians while members of the low-fat group just got an initial visit to train them in how to adhere to the diet, followed by a leaflet each year on the diet. Then the researchers decided to add more intensive counseling for them, too, but they still had difficulty staying with the diet.</div><div itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">One group assigned to a Mediterranean diet was given extra-virgin olive oil each week and was instructed to use at least 4 four tablespoons a day. The other group got a combination of walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts and was instructed to eat about an ounce of the mix each day. An ounce of walnuts, for example, is about a quarter cup — a generous handful. The mainstays of the diet consisted of at least three servings a day of fruits and at least two servings of vegetables. Participants were to eat fish at least three times a week and legumes, which include beans, peas and lentils, at least three times a week. They were to eat white meat instead of red, and, for those accustomed to drinking, to have at least seven glasses of wine a week with meals.</div><div itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">They were encouraged to avoid commercially made cookies, cakes and pastries and to limit their consumption of dairy products and processed meats.</div><div itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">To assess compliance with the Mediterranean diet, researchers measured levels of a marker in urine of olive oil consumption — hydroxytyrosol — and a blood marker of nut consumption — alpha-linolenic acid.</div><div itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">The participants stayed with the Mediterranean diet, the investigators reported. But those assigned to a low-fat diet did not lower their fat intake very much. So the study wound up comparing the usual modern diet, with its regular consumption of red meat, sodas and commercial baked goods, with a diet that shunned all that.</div><div itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">Dr. Estruch said he thought the effect of the Mediterranean diet was due to the entire package, not just the olive oil or nuts. He did not expect, though, to see such a big effect so soon. “This is actually really surprising to us,” he said.</div><div itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">The researchers were careful to say in their paper that while the diet clearly reduced heart disease for those at high risk for it, more research was needed to establish its benefits for people at low risk. But Dr. Estruch said he expected it would also help people at both high and low risk, and suggested that the best way to use it for protection would be to start in childhood.</div><div itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">Not everyone is convinced, though. Dr. Caldwell Blakeman Esselstyn Jr., the author of the best seller “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure,” who promotes a vegan diet and does not allow olive oil, dismissed the study.</div><div itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">His views and those of another promoter of a very-low-fat diet, Dr. Dean Ornish, president of the nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research Institute, have influenced many to try to become vegan. Former President Bill Clinton, interviewed on CNN, said Dr. Esselstyn’s and Dr. Ornish’s writings helped convince him that he could reverse his heart disease in that way.</div><div itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">Dr. Esselstyn said those in the Mediterranean diet study still had heart attacks and strokes. So, he said, all the study showed was that “the Mediterranean diet and the horrible control diet were able to create disease in people who otherwise did not have it.”</div><div itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">Others hailed the study.</div><div itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">“This group is to be congratulated for carrying out a study that is nearly impossible to do well,” said Dr. Robert H. Eckel, a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado and a past president of the American Heart Association.</div><div itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">As for the researchers, they have changed their own diets and are following a Mediterranean one, Dr. Estruch said.</div><div itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">“We have all learned,” he said.</div></div>

Mediterranean Diet Mediterranean Diet Shown to Ward Off Heart Attack and Stroke

About 30 percent of heart attacks, strokes and deaths from heart disease can be prevented in people at high risk if they switch to a Mediter...

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Jodi Arias attempts to explain away her lies

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,47,0" height="270" id="flashObj" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1&isUI=1" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="flashVars" value="videoId=2189880425001&playerID=1684512070001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAB_wnNRk~,WN9MweAQd_td0WdYChlxOiyDQsJXaTMM&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" /><param name="base" value="http://admin.brightcove.com" /><param name="seamlesstabbing" value="false" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="swLiveConnect" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1&isUI=1" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=2189880425001&playerID=1684512070001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAB_wnNRk~,WN9MweAQd_td0WdYChlxOiyDQsJXaTMM&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="480" height="270" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object><br /><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 160px;">PHOENIX (AP) - Jodi Arias calmly tried to explain away her lies Monday as a prosecutor in her Arizona murder trial hammered her about not being honest with authorities, <a class="itxtnewhook itxthook" href="http://www.9news.com/news/world/319544/347/Jodi-Arias-attempts-to-explain-away-her-lies#" id="itxthook0" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: none; border: 0px none transparent; color: #004276; cursor: pointer; display: inline; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><span class="itxtrst itxtrstspan itxtnowrap" id="itxthook0p" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; bottom: auto; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; height: auto; left: auto; line-height: normal; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; position: static; right: auto; top: auto; white-space: nowrap !important;"><span class="itxtrst itxtrstspan itxtnowrap itxtnewhookspan" id="itxthook0w" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: transparent transparent rgb(0, 204, 0); border-style: none none solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; bottom: auto; color: #009900; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; height: auto; left: auto; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static; right: auto; text-decoration: underline !important; top: auto; white-space: normal;">friends</span><img class="itxtrst itxtrstimg itxthookicon" id="itxthook0icon" src="http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/icon1.png" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px !important; bottom: auto; display: inline !important; float: none !important; height: auto !important; left: auto; margin: 0px !important; max-height: none; max-width: none !important; padding: 0px 0px 0px 4px !important; position: static; right: auto; top: auto; vertical-align: baseline !important; white-space: normal; width: auto !important;" /></span></a> or family, even sending the victim's grandmother flowers after she killed him, all in an attempt to throw off suspicion and avoid being charged.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 160px;">Arias said she lied because she was ashamed of having killed her lover, Travis Alexander, in self-defense. Arias also said she didn't want details of their raunchy sexual relationship to be revealed, in part because Alexander lived a public life as a devout Mormon saving himself for marriage but privately was seeing multiple women romantically.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 160px;">Arias is charged in the June 2008 death of Alexander in his suburban Phoenix home. She says she fought for her life after Alexander attacked her, while authorities say she planned the killing in a jealous rage. Testimony has been ongoing since early January. Arias returns to the witness stand for an 11th day on Tuesday.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 160px;">Arias first told authorities she knew nothing about Alexander's death, then later blamed it on masked intruders before eventually settling on self-defense.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 160px;">She told Alexander's friends and family the same stories after her arrest, even sending 20 white irises to the victim's grandmother, along with an 18-page letter to his family, expressing sympathy.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 160px;">Prosecutor Juan Martinez then played a video clip for jurors of an interview Arias did with CBS's "48 Hours" in July 2008 while she was in jail.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 160px;">"Travis' family deserves to know what happened," Arias said on the tape.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 160px;">"They did deserve to know what happened but did they deserve that lie?" Martinez asked Monday, noting at the time of the interview that she was still sticking to the story about the intruders killing Alexander.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 160px;">"I guess not," Arias replied.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 160px;">Martinez also noted that Arias immediately began planning an alibi after she killed Alexander, leaving a message on his mobile phone and going to visit a man in Utah just hours after the attack.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 160px;">When Alexander's body was found days later, Arias began making calls - to police, to friends, to her Mormon bishop - all to figure out what authorities knew and whether "anybody was onto you," Martinez pointed out.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 160px;">"Partially, yes," Arias said, but she again repeated that she didn't recall much from the day of the killing.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 160px;">Throughout the day, Martinez hammered her over the lies, prodding her to agree it was all part of trying to avoid going to prison.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 160px;">"I don't know, I was trying to kill myself," Arias said.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 160px;">She previously testified she tried to commit suicide while in jail, but she nicked her wrist with a razor and it stung, so she delayed it.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 160px;">"Can you imagine how much it must have hurt Mr. Alexander when you stuck that knife into his chest," Martinez snapped back loudly.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 160px;">Defense attorneys immediately objected, and the line of questioning changed.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 160px;">The trial has been a made-for-the-tabloids drama, with tales of lurid sex, lies and death, nude photos and accounts of a salacious relationship. Arias says she and Alexander dated for about five months, then broke up but continued to see each other for sex while Alexander grew more abusive.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 160px;">However, she never reported any abuse to authorities, and jurors haven't heard from any witnesses or seen any evidence supporting her statements that Alexander had a history of violence.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 160px;">On Monday, she said she told an ex-boyfriend how Alexander had attacked her and choked her into unconsciousness after the man noticed bruises on her neck and arm.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 160px;">Martinez asked if the man could corroborate her story.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 160px;">"Yes," Arias replied sheepishly.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 160px;">Martinez then snapped back, asking if she was aware the man told authorities he had no recollection of it.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 160px;">Defense attorneys immediately objected, leading to a private meeting with the judge and attorneys. Martinez then moved on.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 160px;">Arias has said Alexander invited her to his Mesa home on the day of the killing for sex.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 160px;">His body was found in his shower about five days later. He had been shot in the forehead, suffered 27 stab and slash wounds and a slit throat.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 160px;">Of the day of Alexander's death, Arias says she doesn't recall much but remembers him in a rage, body slamming her and chasing her around his home.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 160px;">She said she grabbed a gun from his closet, and fired it as they tussled, but she didn't know if she hit him. She says she doesn't recall stabbing him.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 160px;">According to court records, however, she told police before her trial began that Alexander was unconscious after she shot him, but then "crawled around and was stabbed." She says she remembers putting a knife in the dishwasher and disposing of the gun in the desert as she drove from Arizona to Utah.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 160px;">Arias' grandparents reported a .25 caliber handgun stolen from their Northern California house about a week before the killing - the same caliber used to shoot Alexander - but Arias says she knows nothing about the burglary. She says she brought no weapons to Alexander's home on the day she killed him, undercutting the prosecution's theory of premeditation.</div></div>

Jodi Arias Jodi Arias attempts to explain away her lies

PHOENIX (AP) - Jodi Arias calmly tried to explain away her lies Monday as a prosecutor in her Arizona murder trial hammered her about not be...

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How Sequestration’s Automatic Budget Cuts Could Hurt on Local Level

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img alt="ap obama wave 130216 wblog How Sequestrations Automatic Budget Cuts Could Hurt on Local Level" src="http://abcnews.go.com/images/ABC_Univision/ap_obama_wave_130216_wblog.jpg" /><br /><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo, File</span><br /><br /><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Cities and towns across the country are battening down the hatches, preparing for austerity measures that the budget cuts in sequestration would require if it goes into effect Friday.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/02/white-house-previews-local-impacts-of-sequester/" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 94, 153); color: #30659c; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">The White House </a>previewed what some of those effects might be at the National Governors’ Association winter meeting on Sunday and Monday. President Obama <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/02/obama-enlists-governors-to-help-get-sequester-deal/" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 94, 153); color: #30659c; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">called on governors</a> to help him devise a deal with Congress to avert implementation of the sequester.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The automatic budget cuts would deplete states’ capacity in several areas, including education, defense and transportation.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Here is a roundup of what ABC affiliates are reporting on the sequester. Click to jump:</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/02/how-sequestrations-automatic-budget-cuts-could-hurt-on-local-level/#va" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 94, 153); color: #30659c; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Virginia</a> | <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/02/how-sequestrations-automatic-budget-cuts-could-hurt-on-local-level/#nc" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 94, 153); color: #30659c; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">North Carolina</a> | <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/02/how-sequestrations-automatic-budget-cuts-could-hurt-on-local-level/#in" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 94, 153); color: #30659c; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Indiana</a> | <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/02/how-sequestrations-automatic-budget-cuts-could-hurt-on-local-level/#md" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 94, 153); color: #30659c; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Maryland</a> | <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/02/how-sequestrations-automatic-budget-cuts-could-hurt-on-local-level/#ga" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 94, 153); color: #30659c; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Georgia</a> | <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/02/how-sequestrations-automatic-budget-cuts-could-hurt-on-local-level/#ca" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 94, 153); color: #30659c; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">California</a> |</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="" name="va" style="color: #30659c; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"></a>VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Suggestion to Cut Congress’ Pay Draws Applause</strong></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">ABC affiliate station WVEC-TV reports:</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Three Republican congressmen — Rep. Rob Wittman (R-1st D), Rep. Scott Rigell (R-2nd D.) and Rep. Randy Forbes (R-4th D.)  – talked Monday to a packed house about sequestration’s effects on Hampton Roads and the state.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Rigell told the crowd: “Even at this late hour, there are alternatives … we’re fighting.”</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">He said the deadline hasn’t arrived and already Hampton Roads is feeling the effects of the impasse. … A frustrated businessman got loud applause when he suggested, “Congress should forfeit their pay until we have a budget.”</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Forbes announced he’d introduced a bill (H.R.773) to remove the Department of Defense from sequestration and reduce the total size of the sequester by that amount.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.wvec.com/news/sequester/Sequestration-battle-comes-to-Hampton-Roads-this-week-193004171.html" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 94, 153); color: #30659c; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Read more from WVEC here.</a></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">WVEC’s Dave Cassidy <a href="http://www.wvec.com/news/sequester/Fewer-flights-longer-lines-expected-without-budget-deal-192468801.html" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 94, 153); color: #30659c; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">reported Friday</a> that the defense industry in that area is already feeling the effects of the sequester, “including the delayed overhaul of USS Abraham Lincoln at Newport News Shipbuilding and warn notices going out to more than 1,600 workers at BAE Systems shipyard in Norfolk.”</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="" name="nc" style="color: #30659c; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"></a>RALEIGH-DURHAM, N.C. — Travelers at Local Airport Expect Gridlock</strong></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">ABC station WTVD’s Sheyenne Rodriguez reports:</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Among the possible cuts we could see starting Friday are furloughs for airport screeners at checkpoints and also air traffic controllers. That would have a direct impact on travelers at Raleigh Durham International Airport.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">It could mean fewer flights and longer wait times.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“With everything that’s been going on lately through the years, you’re going to need the TSA, you’re going to need the security. That’s the last thing that we need to cut,” said traveler John Jackson of Pennsylvania.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood didn’t mince words with reporters on the issue.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“Likely close more than 100 air traffic control towers at airports with fewer than 150,000 flight operations per year,” <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/02/lahood-warns-budget-cuts-would-be-very-painful-for-the-flying-public/" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 94, 153); color: #30659c; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">he explained</a>.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">RDU will likely avoid that scenario. An RDU spokesperson explained it had about $188,000 flight operations last year.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Still, travelers are worried the gridlock that will likely first be felt at major airports in cities like Chicago and New York, which could affect travel in and out of RDU.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=9006202" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 94, 153); color: #30659c; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Read more from Rodriguez here.</a></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="" name="in" style="color: #30659c; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"></a>LAWRENCE, Ind., — Defense Workers Fear Pay Cuts</strong></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">ABC affiliate WRTV’s Drew Smith reports:</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">More than 4,000 Indiana federal government workers could see a 20 percent pay cut soon.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">People who work for the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, or DFAS, in Marion County are at the mercy of what happens in Washington, D.C., with the looming budget cuts set to kick in March 1.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Elaine Ashcraft, who has put in 26 years with the federal government, said she is preparing for the worst.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“It’s pretty devastating,” Ashcraft said. “I’ve already started thinking about and I put in some applications for part time.”</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Ashcraft works in Lawrence with DFAS, the payroll and accounting arm of the Department of Defense.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.theindychannel.com/news/local-news/more-than-4k-ind-employees-of-dfas-face-20-percent-pay-cut" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 94, 153); color: #30659c; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Read more from Smith here.</a></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="" name="md" style="color: #30659c; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"></a>SILVER SPRING, Md. — Consumers Balk at Beef Shortage</strong></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Sunlen Miller reports for ABC affiliate WJLA:</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Without agreement from Congress, the automatic spending cuts, as brokered by Congress as part of the Budget Control Act, will kick in this Friday. The government has warned that as a small part of the cuts there could be a furlough of meat inspection workers, causing a potential nationwide shutdown of meat and poultry plants.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Fewer inspectors mean fewer products. Fewer products drive meat prices right up, a concern to local butchers. … With fewer inspectors available it could also open up the potential that the detection of food-born illnesses could be compromised, the USDA has said.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">For some consumers that was not acceptable.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“I think it’s ridiculous,” Kelly Haney of Silver Spring said while food shopping today. “It is very important to me and my family that we have real healthy beef as well as all other food and I really, really don’t like the idea of the government doing anything to hamper that.”</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">But it’s not just meat that stands to be affected; vegetables could be at risk too.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Agriculture Department has also warned that if the cuts go into effect there will be less money available for pest and disease prevention, which potentially could hit farmers hard with more outbreaks to their crops.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/02/sequestration-2013-with-budget-cuts-looming-what-will-this-mean-for-your-food--85591.html#ixzz2Lx57O2SJ" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 94, 153); color: #30659c; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Read more from Miller here.</a></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — Sequester Puts Program for Students With Disabilities in Jeopardy</strong></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">ABC affiliate WJLA reports:</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Debbie Sahlin wanted to help families with disabled children, so she founded the Lollipop Kids Foundation, which refurbishes and then donates wheelchairs and other equipment to families in need.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">She also knows first-hand the challenges of having a child with special needs. Just getting her 18-year-old son Ryan off the school bus takes extra effort, as do many other aspects of her daily life that most people take for granted.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Ryan goes to public school in Montgomery County, which makes the thought of any more cuts in education funding tough for Sahlin. It’s even tougher when nearly half of the sequestration cuts in education would affect students with disabilities — $24 million worth of cuts in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Unless Congress acts by Friday, $85 billion total in cuts are set to take effect from March to September.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“If they cut any more, I honestly don’t know how they’re going to serve the children who are already in the school system,” Sahlin said.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/02/sequestration-2013-school-funding-for-students-with-disabilities-in-jeopardy-85659.html#ixzz2LxAvyEK9" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgb(255, 94, 153); color: #30659c; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Read more from WJLA here.</a></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="" name="ga" style="color: #30659c; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"></a>COLUMBIA COUNTY, Ga. — Schools Face Funding Cuts</strong></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">ABC affiliate WJBF’s Courtney Elledge reports:</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The sequester is a cut that would affect every public school in the state of Georgia.  Federally funded programs at state schools would see a slash starting this Friday if a compromise isn’t met.  The cut could affect teacher’s aids and education for children with disabilities.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Evans Middle School Principal Michael Johnson said: “Teacher’s aids are extremely important, they provide a vital service to our school… Hopefully we won’t get to that point.”</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Johnson says there’s a meeting every Thursday with staff members to plan for the upcoming weeks — the past few weeks have focused on the possible sequester.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m warning them, but I am making them aware of the situation, and where we’re at, ” Johnson said.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; padding: 15px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Johnson says the county, tax dollars, and school board members do a great job of providing funds for necessary programs — he’s just worried the  federal government won’t do the same, cutting Title 1 and special education funding.</div></div>

Sequestration How Sequestration’s Automatic Budget Cuts Could Hurt on Local Level

Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo, File Cities and towns across the country are battening down the hatches, preparing for austerity measures that...

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The Positive Side to Pregnancy

Now, there have been a few wins.  <br /><br />In terms of food, I went from not being able to stand chocolate of any kind, to eating it like I normally would (binging), and now I've progressed to eating it in moderation.  Though, I'm still not overly crazy about chocolate like I once was.  I would honestly be okay if this food aversion stuck with me post pregnancy - chocolate is a HUGE downfall of mine!  While I'm not eating the best, most nutritious of foods, there are still a ton of foods that I simply cannot eat because they are unappealing, and thus would make me sick (french fries, greek yogurt, mac & cheese, chicken soup, granola bars, the list goes on!).  <br /><br />Another huge win - automatic portion control!  I cannot overeat <em>anything</em>.  I get too full too quickly.  Not only that, but I'm pretty much satisfied once I've had a taste of whatever food I was desiring.  I went through a phase with candy, mainly sour candy.  As much as I love the sour taste of Sour Patch Kids or Sour Gummy Worms in my mouth, if I eat too many of them I'm sick.  I have been on a huge candy/sweetness kick, but my body is definitely letting me know that despite what my tongue is desiring, my belly nor baby does not appreciate it!  <br /><br />Another example is that of Girl Scout Cookies.  Joel brought me a box of Thin Mints, Tag Alongs, and Samoas.  My pre-pregnancy self would have been shaking with anticipation of busting in to those puppies.  <em>But</em>, I had 2 Tag Alongs as soon as I opened the box and that was enough for me.  I even ended up not being able to finish the entire box of Samoas because I grew tired of them, so.... <em>holy crap</em>... I threw them away!!   What a powerful feeling when you gain that kind of control over food - throwing something away that was once so incredibly desirable I couldn't WAIT to eat it! I find that with every single thing I eat I only want a small portion of it, then I'm done.  This must be what it feels like for normal people when eating?  I mean, I didn't have strong desires for the cookies and I didn't even want to binge on them.  I just had a few and that was all I needed.  <br /><br />I truly, <em>truly</em> hope this, almost mindful, way of eating sticks with me post pregnancy.<br /><br />Some other non-food related wins to being pregnant is what many people refer to as "nesting".  I think that word sounds so idiotic.  It's supposed to refer to the feelings you and your partner get when preparing for the baby - having a desire to clean and organize and just ready your home for the new arrival.  When I think of "nesting", I think of the bird's nest that these little barn swallows would build every year on my parents patio - and it would cause a huge mess of both poop and nest debris!  So how is that even related?  Either way, I've been taking full advantage of these feelings to clean and organize our entire condo.  And by clean, I don't mean simply vacuuming and dusting.  I mean tearing every single inch of our belongings upside down and cleaning/reorganzing them!  Goodwill has seen many-a-donation from us these days!  We live in a 2 bedroom/2 bath condo that we rent.  Since the baby is due June 22, and our lease is up June 15, we're just going to renew for another year to alleviate the added stress of moving pre-delivery.  But, we've quickly learned how tight it's going to be to now have a third person with a third person's belongings in this space.  It has forced us to get very creative with our organizational skills. <br /><br />Another pregnancy win has been my desire to get creative and crafty.  Since I've taken a temporary hiatus from nursing school, the amount of time I have available to me is glorious!  I've always wanted to learn how to knit, and so I decided I wanted to make a baby blanket for the little one.  With the help of my very special friend and neighbor, she kindly offered to teach me, and I've been well on my way to creating several squares for the blanket.  Now, right now I've only learned the knit stitch - not purling - so I'm just doing a very basic and simple blanket for now.  As time goes on I'd love to expand on this new craft and learn how to read a pattern, as well as purl, but I wanted to set the bar very low for this initial project :).  <br /><br /><strong><span style="color: #351c75;">What were some positive experiences you had while pregnant?  Also, do you have any must-have recommendations for a baby registry?</span></strong><br />

Baby Busbee The Positive Side to Pregnancy

Now, there have been a few wins.  In terms of food, I went from not being able to stand chocolate of any kind, to eating it like I normally ...

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Jerusalem, My Happy Home: Part 1

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QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Calibri;} </style><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;">Our feet are within the bounds of Jerusalem.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;">The trip was long and had a glitch on the front end. But all in all, it was not inordinately arduous – just long. Flying into Tel Aviv, my first impression was that it is green, very green. Immigration, customs, and security at the airport were all low key. I had expected more suspicion and firepower.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;">We took a cab from the airport to Jerusalem. The taxi driver was Iraqi. Felt like home. He asked where we were from. I said, “Las Vegas” and he turned around to look, impressed. That is always fun in international travel. They’ve all heard of us.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;">He drove us though the outskirts of Tel Aviv, which looks to be a modern high tech city. We hear the cool young Israelis live here. At first, I thought they sure have a lot of cell phone towers here. Then I realized these really are palm trees.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1941566034196038608#_edn1" name="_ednref1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">[i]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;">On through the countryside. Green, verdant, in active agricultural production. We drove into the moonrise, a full moon over green hills. As we came through a canyon we saw the lights of a city on a hill. Isaiah 2.2. It is a small city on a substantial hill, but you certainly get the point. The lights are not our bright colored lights. They are simple white lights shining out over the darkened lowlands.  Matthew 5:15-16 is about letting the light of good works, the witness for justice, shine into a darkened world. Seeing Jerusalem across the valley called that text to mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;">Once we were in the city, the fireworks started. They continued into the night until we fell asleep. It is Purim. We were warmly greeted at the College by Honey, the minister of hospitality, a deacon who hails from New Orleans by way of Hawaii. She fed us left overs from a party earlier today, plied us with wine, and packed us off to our rooms – where we fell into bed and slept the night away.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;">Our first day began with Eucharist in a small holy dimly lit chapel of St. George’s Cathedral. There were seven in the congregation. I was the lector, and also coached the deacon on how to pronounce phylacteries. Bishop Dawani was there so we met him as well. It was a quiet, sacred Eucharist – my ideal way to worship these days. I already look forward to doing it again tomorrow. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;">After breakfast, we went to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. It leaves me confused. The overarching feeling is one of holy space. It has a numinous feel like John the Divine in New York only more complex and convoluted in an Orthodox sort of way. But there is the unseemly division of turf with various Christian sects “controlling” this part for a certain time and others controlling other parts for other times. The small-mindedness of trying to control and ration grace is in striking contrast to the feel of mystery in the building itself. But that is precisely what I am here to get a perspective on – the beauty of our faith and its troublesome off-putting shadow.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;">We stood in line to enter the structure that houses the putative burial place itself. There is something psychologically compelling about going into and out of a place so small. On the one hand, the notion that this is actually the place of the burial is so unlikely that I felt gullible and superstitious to go there at all. (I hope to go to the Garden Tomb – some distance away – which has a better claim to authenticity – but still a highly speculative one). On the other hand, I told myself that this place was rendered holy by the prayers of millions of people who had honored this as the tomb of Christ for hundreds of years. Facts matter less than prayers when it comes to bestowing sacrality. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;">But I was confused by the prayers too. People were weeping on the way into the tomb – and more were weeping on the way out. I am not even remotely critical of their emotions. But I do wonder what it was about. If they were weeping at the site of the crucifixion, I would have gotten that clearly – but this site commemorates the resurrection. I have known a lot of folks whose religion is so centered on Good Friday that they never make it to Easter. I wondered what was on their hearts and what hope they held for joy.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;">On the way back to St. George’s, we stopped at a souvenir shop. The owner said to me, “You are a bishop?” (I was not in clericals. I was in fact fairly unkempt.) “Yes, I said, but how did you know.” “I see it in your eyes,” he said. Hmmmm. I must give some thought to that one. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div><!--[if !supportEndnotes]--><br clear="all" /> <hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" /> <!--[endif]--> <div id="edn1"> <div class="MsoEndnoteText"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1941566034196038608#_ednref1" name="_edn1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[i]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>In Las Vegas, we disguise our cell phone towers as palm trees.<o:p></o:p></div></div></div><!--EndFragment-->

Jerusalem, My Happy Home: Part 1

Our feet are within the bounds of Jerusalem. The trip was long and had a glitch on the front end. But all in all, it was not in...

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Throwing self pity into the sea

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QtuIMSXVvMA/SVKT9NtQ8oI/AAAAAAAABmg/I1ck1fvob6U/s1600/2008-Aug-01%252520%2525280193%252529%252520Hook%252520Head%25252C%252520Ireland.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="339" id="blogsy-1361880051993.359" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QtuIMSXVvMA/SVKT9NtQ8oI/AAAAAAAABmg/I1ck1fvob6U/s500/2008-Aug-01%252520%2525280193%252529%252520Hook%252520Head%25252C%252520Ireland.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><blockquote>AJ Cronin tells the story of a cliff on the Channel Isle of Jersey where <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Hugo" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Victor Hugo">Victor Hugo</a>, despondent, in exile, sick and persecuted by the France he so loved, climbed. Every evening he traversed this jagged cliff and, looking into the sunset, meditated in quiet. When he was done, he would stand, renewed, pick up a pebble, stone or large rock and toss it into the sea raging below. Some children who played nearby every night noticed Hugo and pushed forward a young lass who asked,<br />"Monseir Hugo, why do you come here to throw these stones?"<br />Victor Hugor, author of such great literature about the tragedy and love of life, smiled and said<br />"Not stones, my child, I am throwing self-pity into the sea."<br />(Adapted from AJ Cronin as told in <em>Everyday Greatness</em> by <a class="zem_slink" href="http://stephencovey.com/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Stephen Covey">Stephen Covey</a>, p 430).</blockquote>Self pity into the sea. When gazing upon the lives of the great among us, whether they be statesmen and women, authors, or humanitarians, we often see the product of their lives without a nod to the pain, frustration and heartache that produced such. We praise Ghandi for how he brought peace to many parts of India torn by bloodshed and violence, but if faced with the empty plate and glass, we would say it was too much to miss a meal. He missed meals for days to accomplish such for the people he loved.<br /><br />But I think that sometimes our problem is not that we want to do great things. So many of us are rushing around attempting greatness in some fashion or another. We answer emails like we're the king of some domain and take phonecalls in public places to sound important to anonymous strangers who wished we'd take it down a notch. <br /><br />Our problem is that we've gotten rid of the places of respite: the hammocks, garden benches, and reading rooms of yesteryear. We don't have a spot by the creek, or a place overlooking the lake that we go to in order to ponder life and love and meaning. We all need a place to ponder life and meaning and when we're done, to rise and pick up a rock-- certainly a different size fits different days -- and cast into into the lake as we forever rid ourselves of any self pity so that we may move forward to the tasks of today.<br /><br />I know of a person who has a 21 year old daughter who walked down to the pond on Saturday in a flash flood and ended her life. Her self pity wasn't thrown away, she drowned in it, literally.<br /><br />Listen here, we all have struggles. We all have pain. We all have things that just aren't fair and people who treat us unjustly. But we must make time for moments alone to ponder such things and deal with our emotions and make peace with our God. And when we arise, if we can take that rock of self pity and toss it far away, we'll be far the better person for the tasks we must undertake on the morrow.<br /><br />Yea, though I wax poetic, truth be that self pity is a rock, that if not untied and tossed, can serve to weight us down into the depths. And such depths are dark, unfriendly, and if you don't wake up and untie yourself when you realize you're sinking -- maybe you'll let go and live -- but you risk going under permanently in a place of instability where the mind goes to hide when the burden it carries is too great.<br /><br />This post is for any and all of you who will read, not just teachers. For, I think we all must learn to have some solitude to deal with the strife of life. <br /><br /><strong>Here's to you, fellow traveler on the way, we all have noble callings to which we must ascribe and we cannot meet them while carrying a bag of rocks tied around our necks.</strong><br /><strong><br /></strong>Here's to you and here's to some rock tossing we all need to do.<br /><div id="blogsy_footer" style="clear: both; font-size: small; text-align: right;"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad" height="20" src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" style="margin-right: 5px; vertical-align: middle;" width="20" />Written by Vicki Davis, author - Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds - Posted with Blogsy from my iPad</a></div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/?px" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_c.png?x-id=031cbbb0-3771-4912-b947-68dc2bf390eb" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>

Inspiration Throwing self pity into the sea

AJ Cronin tells the story of a cliff on the Channel Isle of Jersey where Victor Hugo , despondent, in exile, sick and persecuted by the Fran...

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Unicef’s FREE World Education Games are about to start 5-7 March…hurry…hurry!

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPVDpSaBfgywvjr36IycWnerUKWHNagPEWuKN_KPW84A4NRS4s4JrU1ewEN33_X5tDV4G9uYal3MyybKfcSbH1BeTI0IZxFaTP4B_J_36CwDOnK4CWCLxkDXKM-AsDd5OYjGo_DXTJaJ4/s1600-h/image%25255B8%25255D.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR5Qcxr_WZuP72ZGVzTKpoo_v9isD6NPmyeNVuS6oFBJbxhyphenhyphenbApF3m6KJvLUaBYcyqQjkIp_swA30fGU607zDvdiZU7zqp4CQyE_J12kSMpihtaKAUtI-kS2eTtvoXjab-cOI7isfIvnU/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="236" /></span></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Something very exciting is about to take place in education nxt week – <b>Unicef’s World Education Games,</b> all free! Want to know more?  Let’s go over to the official website to investigate further. <a href="http://www.worldeducationgames.com/WEG2013#2" title="http://www.worldeducationgames.com/WEG2013#2">http://www.worldeducationgames.com/WEG2013#2</a>. If you look around on the website you’ll see there are lovely resources to download.  The website also tells us about the programme and the games, and asks us to register.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8f7IrfrFEZMZIBuX4gFCBBXVeJh-nmS1W5NMg9t6LSgevL5NGz7vlDdWFa1hlsgDXclkrckPVuLIgbgbb_PDz97hp_ifYZFvlnhYoj2hRrHX40Y6hQV1ue3MJSVFquiwR5LzgZR_cD0/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="400" /></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><br /></strong></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Programme</span></strong></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">World Maths Day: 5th March</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">World Literacy Day: 6th March<br />World Science day: 7th March </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wow, this looks so inviting. Students are invited to compete against other students around the world in the World Education Games, which includes a Maths challenge as well as a Science and Literacy challenge. Children aged four to 18 are invited to participate, all for free. Why don’t you think about registering. This looks like fun and a good challenge for a class. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Ambassadors</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Each country selects “<i>ambassadors</i>” from the year before and our South African ambassadors this year are Amy Coningsby, a Grade 6 learner from Brescia House, and an 8-year-old named Zeyn Mahomed from St Johns. These two ambassadors were among the top performers in last year’s South African Maths Challenge. They are extremely enthusiastic about their role in the 2013 World Education Games and learners can keep up to date with their activities via the navigation section e on the website entitled ‘Ambassadors’.. <a href="http://www.worldeducationgames.com/WEG2013/Ambassadors" title="http://www.worldeducationgames.com/WEG2013/Ambassadors">http://www.worldeducationgames.com/WEG2013/Ambassadors</a> </span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiUCqU1RNhfkyWUYrCC6BiQjd8XMDbn10WHyfI2PUlkrVMOTx1lP_WMXMjfiMAwD4pVVhgChd5LyIaEScd7g_gwlwWpdeo2Q2UqmR_4bQMjR6AjJ09Wtjb41awN-ACT1SsFQTNtXLv6vc/s1600-h/image%25255B14%25255D.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5i_9Bj5uIDYkC5V-Ep6j7p0rlul_h9z-rbuawJRDupnhCJSbgoOIiZtfVPGK8rr4Kfykuy-_95ZXVUUiD2YphL8cNnmatOYgkneVy8v5_KkOVFTY99TjhPYY5CXdNmVdhar1PVWZL024/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="244" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amy from Brescia House</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIEFDAiWp0zNRTCy_6ldZK0IyS9XgZ_dv6elfksqWQ0DbJ09pw1TaJpbIN7IHsyOiXvJAXIHF7zx-fc-eUObB5i7GJPnwPNbOYE7l8Eneos_QDmYl87Az_F6eJ6IZ9C8ByMGgnUEpcSWs/s1600-h/image%25255B17%25255D.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="image" border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNy5VzYAzFPAenKhUvOPOPfM013iuTuE_KxyYxgoH-jdTfRM64XGZBdbn1X4fhNfv7sH0iGODRBYoN1-5AKLmGEb6Iu36-mxW3R6_1iTzOOcRJRajptfOIZCEJbj4I-AQN6zNBW0Uuhtw/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="image" width="184" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zen from St Johns</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u></u><u></u> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Press releases </b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you would like to have more information about the games it would be good to download and read these three press releases</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.box.com/s/mn3uicp2ib0anq71ukoa" target="_blank">01- Pre-Release - World Education Games 2013.doc</a></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.box.com/s/y75yizhmjskya2aa5nv4" target="_blank">04 - Ambassador Zeyn Mahomed.doc</a></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.box.com/s/thl7qkmy73wvhfu1p1nf" target="_blank">05 - Ambassador Amy Coningsby.doc</a></span><br /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></b> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Register soon</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So hurry, hurry, hurry and register!  Time is short – this all takes place NEXT WEEK!</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>

Collaboration Events Unicef’s FREE World Education Games are about to start 5-7 March…hurry…hurry!

Something very exciting is about to take place in education nxt week – Unicef’s World Education Games, all free! Want to know more?  Let’s ...

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Jeffress Opens a Can on Tebow - Says Tebow "Wimped Out" - And Five Reasons Why Tebow Backed Out that the Press and Pharisees Both Missed

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDHsNaR19qwuR_eLFGOB7acmFk3a9c1vNGpt4akyeOkxejTA7mJVrx26nk8i0dXomvUC6PI3O7uAzscMYfGOc6wsS4-6Nv5oeVXYm_GujJDyKN60l7Fty7afIszOKMNKktZWOlnLUld-lE/s1600/SoHelpMeGod.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDHsNaR19qwuR_eLFGOB7acmFk3a9c1vNGpt4akyeOkxejTA7mJVrx26nk8i0dXomvUC6PI3O7uAzscMYfGOc6wsS4-6Nv5oeVXYm_GujJDyKN60l7Fty7afIszOKMNKktZWOlnLUld-lE/s320/SoHelpMeGod.png" /></a>In a 10-minute response in front of his congregation yesterday, Robert Jeffress yesterday showed the world that Tim Tebow made the right decision to not speak at Jeffress' church, when Jeffress said Tebow "wimped out":<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b>"I am grateful for men of God like these [Vines, Graham, Mohler, etc.] who are willing to stand up and act like men, <span style="color: red;">rather than wimping out</span> when it gets a little controversial and an inconvenient thing to stand for the truth. God bless men like that." </b></i></div><br />Sorry, Robert. God bless men like Tebow. And shame on religious men like yourself who attack a young man who has lived out his faith in the most challenging circumstances, and a young man that has shown the world what a true Christian looks like. Robert and friends need to <a href="http://bit.ly/u46R4U" target="_blank">read my article from November 2011</a> in which I wrote about how pastors need to learn from Tebow on how to face criticism and adversity. <br /><br />Watch the video of Jeffress for yourself <a href="http://youtu.be/lzpJHIhH6Hc" target="_blank">here</a>. After Jeffress said Tebow "wimped out" he goes on to mock those like Tebow who claim they are called to "preach the love of God", saying one can't preach the love of God without also preaching the judgment of God. Jeffress come across as a sniveling, whiny wimp who didn't get his way, and wants everyone to know all the Holy religious men of God are on HIS side and not Tebow's.<br /><br />But the question still remains:  why DID Tebow back out of his FBC Dallas speaking commitment?  Was it over Jeffress' comments on homosexuality, Mormons, and Catholics? Probably not. After all, <a href="http://gofbw.com/news.asp?ID=14812" target="_blank">Tebow's own pastor came forward</a> over the weekend to confirm there is not "a wisp" (Greek for "a bit") of difference between the theology of Jeffress' church and Tim's church.<br /><br />Predictably, both the secular media AND the religious Pharisees missed what were legitimate reasons a person like Tim Tebow wouldn't want to speak at FBC Dallas. The religious Pharisees are so preoccupied with the issue of homosexuality, they assumed Tim caved to pressure - or as O.S. Hawkins said, <a href="https://twitter.com/OSHawkins/status/304677654144090112" target="_blank">Tebow "capitulated"</a> - on this issue. Likewise, the secular media's darling issue is gay rights, so they also assumed Jeffress' stand on gay rights was Tim's primary reason reason for backing out.<br /><br />I submit both the religious Pharisees AND the secular media have it all wrong.<br /><br />To understand why Tim would have backed out, we have to answer the question: what ARE some  distinctive positions or characteristics of FBC Dallas and Robert Jeffress that would cause someone like Tebow to not want to speak there? These reasons are quite obvious - unless you are a religious Pharisee who constantly rails about homosexuality, or you are in the secular media and think all Christians are gay-bashing homophobes.<br /><br />Here are the top five reasons why a Christian like Tim Tebow would not want to be associated with FBC Dallas and Robert Jeffress:<br /><br /><b>1.  <u>FBC Dallas' Construction of $130 Million "Crystal Campus"</u></b> - it is no secret that FBC Dallas is constructing the most expensive, over-the-top <a href="http://fbcjaxwatchdog.blogspot.com/2010/10/no-turning-back-first-baptist-dallas-to.html" target="_blank">church facility complex ever conceived in modern evangelicalism</a>. Perhaps Tim didn't realize the scope of this building program, and what a tremendous waste of resources this is. You see, Tim Tebow is not into raising money to build Crystal Cathedrals. Tim has consistently used his notoriety to raise money for <a href="http://www.timtebowfoundation.org/" target="_blank">sick children and needy families</a>. Tim is into raising money for orphanages in the Phillipines. On the other hand, Robert Jeffress likes to manufacture his notoriety through outlandish and divisive statements, to help him raise funds for his new church building. That is NOT what Tim Tebow is all about. Here is an excerpt from the <a href="http://www.timtebowfoundation.org/core-values" target="_blank">website of Tim's foundation</a>:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>"Unlike many other organizations, we pride ourselves in keeping our overhead costs as low as possible that way <span style="color: red;">virtually every penny, of every dollar donated reaches the people that truly need it most</span>. Together with your help, we will make a difference!"</i></b></div><br /><b>2.  <u>FBC Dallas Construction of Waterfall as "Architectural Invitation" to Jesus Christ</u></b>:  As I blogged about <a href="http://fbcjaxwatchdog.blogspot.com/2010/12/wonderful-first-baptist-dallas.html" target="_blank">here</a> back in 2010, Robert Jeffress sold his church on the bright idea that to reach people for Jesus, they have to build a three-story high water fountain with computerized nozzles. Jeffress told the FBC Dallas peeps that they needed their church to be an "architectural invitation to the gospel". I don't think Tim is into glorifying spending hundreds of thousands of dollars for architectural invitations to Jesus. This was done all over Europe already - and at Tim's church back in the 1990's. Maybe Tim just isn't into this and doesn't want his name to be associated with it.<br /><br /><b>3.  <u>Jeffress Fund-Raising Tactics</u></b>:  As I blogged <a href="http://fbcjaxwatchdog.blogspot.com/2010/04/jeffress-just-slice-off-big-hunk-of.html" target="_blank">here</a>, Jeffress preached a sermon to his peeps when he was in full fund-raising mode for his campus, in which he said:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b>"The greatest thing you can do for your spiritual health, would be to take a large chunk of your assets, and give them to this campaign. Just slice off a big hunk of 'em [as he slices with his hand] and give them to this campaign."</b></i></div><br />That is pure hogwash. Tim doesn't want to lend his name to the opening of a new facility built using these fund raising tactics, where the pastor says the greatest thing a Christian can do for their spiritual well-being is to take your assets and give them to a Crystal Cathedral-type building program. That is Bennie Hinn territory. Tim is a relentless fund-raiser himself - but he does it to help people, and he doesn't do it through manipulation and scripture twisting like Jeffress.<br /><br /><b>4. <u>Jeffress' Divisive Political Statements</u>: </b>there is no mainstram evangelical pastor that was more  involved in the 2012 presidential campaign than Robert Jeffress. As I pointed out <a href="http://fbcjaxwatchdog.blogspot.com/2011/10/why-is-fbc-dallas-publicizing-and.html" target="_blank">here</a>, Jeffress once said he would never endorse a politician, either publicly or privately, yet he eventually endorsed Texas governor Rick Perry at the Voter's Value Summit in October 2011. Also, Jeffress' statements about <a href="http://fbcjaxwatchdog.blogspot.com/2012/11/news-flash-jeffress-declares-obama-is.html" target="_blank">Obama paving the way for the Antichrist</a> - Tim likely doesn't want to be associated with divisive political rhetoric that alienates people that he is trying to live out the gospel before. <br /><br /><b>5. <u>Jeffress' Over-the-Top Statements About Islam</u></b>:  Jeffress has made statements that don't help to reach Muslims in this country with the gospel. As I wrote about <a href="http://fbcjaxwatchdog.blogspot.com/2010/09/robert-jeffress-trades-jabs-with.html" target="_blank">here</a>, Jeffress claimed that Islam "promotes pedophilia", and that "all around the world you have Muslim men having sex with 4-year old girls." Those statements are way over the top. Why does Tim need to lend his name to help promote the grand opening of a new church facility, where the pastor makes these kind of statements? That is not Tim Tebow's style.<br /><br />So there you have it. There are others I could have cited, but these are probably the top 5 reasons why Tim Tebow doesn't want to be involved in the Grand Opening of the FBC Dallas version of the Crystal Cathedral.<br /><br />And Robert, your comments about Tebow in front of your congregation show you to be a very small man. Tebow is too much of a gentleman to reply to you - but that is perhaps one of the few instances where we see Tebow is NOT like Jesus - else Tim would quickly declared about you, Jerry Vines, Jack Graham, and Albert the Pious, like Jesus said to the Pharisees in his day:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><b>“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous....You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?" <span style="font-size: large;">(Matt 23:29,<span style="font-size: large;">33)</span></span></b></span></i></div><br />But as I said, Tim is much too kind.<br /><br />So the Watchdog said it for him.

Jeffress Opens a Can on Tebow - Says Tebow "Wimped Out" - And Five Reasons Why Tebow Backed Out that the Press and Pharisees Both Missed

In a 10-minute response in front of his congregation yesterday, Robert Jeffress yesterday showed the world that Tim Tebow made the right dec...

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Khunt...Say it...It's Funny

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Cheers y’all!!<br /><br />Seems that some folks are in an uproar over the satirists at The Onion for referring to 9-year old actress Quvenzhané Wallis as a, “cunt.”<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmVBIVX0UQBsSYI0FVJajR1PTp_BBRnlxxS1sqZH7uPiwOBsLuCqz41thcrOZYp3n8Gzfvxh5BhEmuxW01Cia1tGUVGPWYooVCqEFx_cqa2aKgmklCuf9vMzRD8qKPezr0tFZ7ahwz9I/s1600/Quvenzhan%C3%A9+Wallis+Beasts+of+the+Southern+Wild+Cunt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmVBIVX0UQBsSYI0FVJajR1PTp_BBRnlxxS1sqZH7uPiwOBsLuCqz41thcrOZYp3n8Gzfvxh5BhEmuxW01Cia1tGUVGPWYooVCqEFx_cqa2aKgmklCuf9vMzRD8qKPezr0tFZ7ahwz9I/s400/Quvenzhan%C3%A9+Wallis+Beasts+of+the+Southern+Wild+Cunt.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Many people are OUTRAGED and have asked for the writers to RESIGN, IMMEDIATELY!!<br /><br />Let’s get into the crux and impetus of the matter of said “offensiveness” today of a couple of words, shall we? Cool.<br /><br />Let’s take a look at the word, “cunt”…<br /><br />Pfffffft. Big deal. You know where the word comes from?<br /><br />Cunt means, vagina or vulva, etc. It is clearly derived from words from many ancient Indo-European, Hittite, Sanskrit, and Latin-based Romance languages.<br /><br />Even Chaucer used it in a well accepted sense in, <i>The Canterbury Tales</i> (The Miller’s Tale, line 90, "queynte") to describe the vagina.<br /><br />It’s been around for centuries, but exactly what happened?<br /><br />Someone, no doubt a <strike>cunt </strike>woman, decided along the way (and in lieu of brevity I am not going to get into the details) that the word, in spite of its history and etymology, was a derogatory term for a woman.<br /><br />Whatever…<br /><br />Most women I know do have a vulva, but if that upsets you…Have at it, but most men want it, you control it, and you’re not enjoying the full power of your cunt.<br /><br />Now, let us turn our attention to the word, “nigger”. <i>“Haaaaaaaaaghast. No he didn’t!!?”</i> Yeah, I said that.<br /><br />This word comes from Latin (niger) and a Spanish derivative (negro) meaning black. It was for centuries, merely a colorful adjective.<br /><br />It referred to dark-skinned people, mainly Africans. But guess what happened?<br /><br />Someone, probably some <strike>black bitch</strike> er... <strike>cunt</strike>...er African-American decided along the way, that the term, in spite of its history and etymology, is a derogatory word for people of dark skin and/or African descent.<br /><br />Whatever…<br /><br />I know…I know...It's offensive because “black” people aren't all black or, “niger."<br /><br />Yeah, well white folks aren’t all white. Some are pasty white, pale, and/or more of a peach color or variations thereof.<br /><br />Whatever…<br /><br />It’s just a general description, people!! Does that really annoy you? If it does? Have at it, and revel in your racial superciliousness.<br /><br />Listen, I am not advocating the use of the aforementioned words, but try this…<br /><br />If a person calls you a cunt, just laugh and say, <i>“Yeah, I have one and you’ll never get it.”</i><br /><br />If someone calls you a nigger, just laugh and say, <i>“You are very observant.”</i><br /><br />My point is this…<br /><br />Derogatory terms are only derogatory if we lend them credence.  If one believes in him or herself, these words shouldn't have any effect.<br /><br />In fact, if someone directs either of these terms at you in an angry sense, you probably don’t give a shit about that person anyway.<br /><br />People who use terms in an attempt to elicit an angry response are prime examples of this adage:<br /><br /><i>“The greater the ignorance, the greater the dogmatism.”</i><br /><br />If we react in an angry way towards the slings and arrows of those types of slurs, we devolve into a level of their ignorance, especially if their words are baseless.<br /><br />If however, we believe in ourselves, walk away, and without response, realize that we are good people…<br /><br />Over time, those words used in a derogatory fashion will lose their effect, and much like the original meaning of those words, will fade into the past.<br /><br />But let me tell you…When Quvenzhané Walli had her name read as a Best Actress nominee  She yukked it up and clapped for herself like a little school girl, and well... acted like a cunt.  A nigger cunt at that.<br /><br /><i>Cheers!!</i><br /><i>Matt-Man</i><br /><a href="mailto:mattmaniws@ymail.com">mattmaniws@ymail.com</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/MattMan_IWS" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">@mattman_iws</span></a></div>

Khunt...Say it...It's Funny

Cheers y’all!! Seems that some folks are in an uproar over the satirists at The Onion for referring to 9-year old actress Quvenzhané Wallis ...

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