Happy New Year

Chris Botti

I started 2005 in Boston, seeing Chris Botti at Scullers Jazz Club. Today, he has ended my year, as I finished up my coffee watching the Saturday Early Show on CBS:

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Second Cup Cafe: Chris Botti

NEW YORK, Dec. 31, 2005

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(CBS) Jazz trumpeter Chris Botti and his band return to The Saturday Early Show's "Second Cup Cafe" to perform selections from his latest album, "To Love Again."

This year, Botti toured with Josh Groban. Botti is up for two Grammys in the categories of Best Pop Instrumental Performance (for "In Our Time," with Burt Bacharach) and Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) (for "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?" with Sting). The awards ceremony will be broadcast Feb. 8 on CBS.

Of his musical style, Botti has said, "It's about the sound of my trumpet and the melody I play."

Botti started playing the trumpet early on, but is very outspoken against marching bands. "I graduated school a year early so I could get out of marching band," he says. "The marching band is there to support sporting events; it's rarely about the music."

But being part of the band paid off. The band director turned him on to Miles Davis when Botti was 12, and Botti has idolized Davis ever since.

Still, the thrill of his lifetime came when he played for Frank Sinatra during the 1985 tour. "It was his big comeback tour and he was singing beautifully at that time," recalls Botti, who was then 21.

In May 2004, Botti was named one of People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" and for that, the artist says, he gets teased relentlessly.

"It's so difficult in this day and age for instrumental artists to punch through into the mainstream," he says, turning serious, "so anything that helps is a good thing."

I love coffee but,.........

Palm Civet

I adore coffee. However, I don't believe I'll be buying these beans:

Pricey coffee good to the last dropping

Fri Dec 30, 9:09 AM ET Yahoo News

Would you pay $175 for a pound of coffee beans which had passed through the backside of a furry mammal in Indonesia?

Apparently, some coffee lovers wanting to treat themselves to something special are lapping it up.

Kopi Luwak beans from Indonesia are rare and expensive, thanks to a unique taste and aroma enhanced by the digestive system of palm civets, nocturnal tree-climbing creatures about the size of a large house cat.

"People like coffee. And when they want to treat themselves, they order the Kopi Luwak," said Isaac Jones, director of sales for Tastes of The World, an online supplier of gourmet coffee, tea and cocoa.

Despite being carnivorous, civets eat ripe coffee cherries for treats. The coffee beans, which are found inside of the cherries, remain intact after passing through the animal.

Civet droppings are found on the forest floor near coffee plantations. Once carefully cleaned and roasted, the beans are sold to specialty buyers.

Jones said sales for Kopi Luwak rose three-fold just before the Christmas holiday compared with the first half of the year. The company started selling the rare coffee in February 2005.

He expects to sell around 200 pounds of the coffee this year, with orders coming from North America and Europe. So far, most of the orders have been from California.

Indonesia produces only about 500 kilograms, or roughly 1,100 pounds, of the coffee each year, making it extremely expensive and difficult to find.

"It's the most expensive coffee that we know about in the world," said Jones.

By comparison Jamaica's Blue Mountain coffee, considered to be an expensive type, sells for $35 to $40 per pound, while a pound of Colombia's Supremo arabicas can be bought for about $14.

Flickr

I’m posting pictures on Flickr. I like the ability to categorize, sort, label, and make my work available in a “gallery” style format. Some sets will have a decidedly erotic edge like “Bodyscapes” and other sets will be more G-rated. With the laptop, a camera, and some photo software, life has become much more creative.

The Importance of Vitamin D

This news on the importance of Vitamin D:


By Randy Dotinga


HealthDay Reporter Wed Dec 28,11:47 PM ET


WEDNESDAY, Dec. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Forget the fiber. You may be able to fend off colon, breast or ovarian cancer by simply getting enough vitamin D, a new analysis of previous research suggests.


But if you're overweight, black, older or live in the Northeast, there's a good chance you're not getting enough vitamin D in your diet, said study co-author Cedric F. Garland, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego.


The study authors found that several groups of people had low levels of vitamin D. Residents of the Northeast made up one group, perhaps because they miss out on vitamin D that's absorbed during exposure to the sun, Garland said. The obese had low levels, too, perhaps because they have trouble metabolizing vitamin D through their fatty tissues.


Other groups with low vitamin D levels include blacks -- they're five times more likely to be deficient than whites -- and the elderly, the researchers found.


"As we age, we lose the ability to convert vitamin D into its usable form, so elderly people are at greater risk," Sandon said.


And the increased skin pigmentation of blacks reduces their ability to synthesize vitamin D, the researchers said.


So what to do? The experts are divided on that answer.


Garland urges everyone to consume 1,000 International Units (IUs) a day of the active form of Vitamin D -- also known by its human form, Vitamin D3 -- which comes in yogurt, cheese, orange juice, fatty fish and milk.


By contrast, Sandon said adults aged 19 to 50 should get 200 IUs a day, equivalent to two glasses of fortified milk. People aged 50 to 70 should get 400 IUs, she said, while those 71 and older should get 700. But she acknowledged that "it is difficult to get this much vitamin D from food alone.


More information on Vitamin D:


Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that is found in food and can also be made in your body after exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. Sunshine is a significant source of vitamin D because UV rays from sunlight trigger vitamin D synthesis in the skin.


So, a little tan is good for you!

Warm Shells

Winter Tulips

Christmas

Last night I listened to Mary McPartland’s Christmas “All About Jazz” broadcast that included her reading of “A Child’s Christmas in Wales”.

“A Child's Christmas In Wales was published in 1955. It is an anecdotal sketch of the festive season which emerged from a piece originally written for radio. It is an exercise in storytelling and Thomas recreates the experience of Christmas as though it were a fairy tale.”

Hers was a wonderful rendition. I always enjoy her programs and try to catch them on Friday night – Jazz night - on our Public Broadcasting radio station.

I have a small hardcover reprint of an edition illustrated by Fritz Eichenberg. The original 1969 Eichenberg edition with prints signed by the master engraver can be found here:

Author: (EICHENBERG, FRITZ) THOMAS, Dylan.
Title: A Child's Christmas in Wales. Illustrated by Fritz Eichenberg.

Description: New York: New Directions, 1969, 4to, cloth with leather spine, with cloth portfolio for signed suite of Eichenberg prints. An account of a Christmas day in a welsh town from the author's childhood. Illustrated with full page drawings. This is one of 100 specially bound copies of the deluxe edition. Specially printed at the Thistle Press and bound in two volumes, signed by Fritz Eichenberg on the justification leaf. The separate portfolio consists of five signed wood engravings by Eichenberg. Very scarce thus. Item # 7998 $2,500.00

A really nice Christmas present!!!!

Snowflakes

Make a Snowflake.

It's not winter yet.

It’s not even winter and we have already had two major storms here on the coast. The solstice that marks the beginning of winter won’t be here until next week (12/21/05 – at 1335). Right now it looks and feels more like February outside than December.

I’ve been experimenting with enhancing / changing photos using tools on my laptop. The one that fascinates me right now is one that takes a color picture and turns it into a negative. There is color theory going on here but, for my creative purposes, I just like the surprise of experimenting.

Chile, Neruda, and Elections

Neruda is one of my favorite poets. His home country of Chile has always intrigued me; in particular the location, resulting natural environment, and its politics. I just read this morning that the elections tomorrow have a very good chance of resulting in the country’s first woman president. She is very vocal about her concerns, including championing the rights of women.

From the New York Times: Señora Presidente?

By RAFAEL GUMUCIO

Published: December 9, 2005

“CHILE is one of the more conservative countries on a continent that is not especially renowned as tolerant, forward thinking or democratically minded. Divorce was legalized here just last year, and abortion continues to be a taboo subject even for the most progressive of politicians. Our social codes and racial prejudices are deeply engrained. We are an overwhelmingly Catholic country with a history that has been marked - and continues to be marked - by the power of its military.

Given this context, it is nothing short of extraordinary - even revolutionary - that the clear front-runner in the presidential vote being held on Sunday is Michelle Bachelet, a divorced mother of three who is an atheist and a member of the Socialist Party.”

It will be interesting to follow this story.

And part of a poem from Neruda:

The Wide Ocean

From: ‘Canto General’

Ocean, if you were to give, a measure, a ferment, a fruit
of your gifts and destructions, into my hand,

I would choose your far-off repose, your contour of steel,

your vigilant spaces of air and darkness,

and the power of your white tongue,

that shatters and overthrows columns,

breaking them down to your proper purity.

Not the final breaker, heavy with brine,

that thunders onshore, and creates

the silence of sand, that encircles the world,

but the inner spaces of force,

the naked power of the waters,

the immoveable solitude, brimming with lives.

It is Time perhaps, or the vessel filled

with all motion, pure Oneness,

that death cannot touch, the visceral green

of consuming totality.

Snowflake Snowfall

We had some snow showers yesterday. When I went to take pictures to send to a friend in warmer climes, I saw that it was a snowflake snowfall. The crystals weren't melting but, holding their form long enough to be photographed.

A really great site to learn all about snowflakes is Snowflake .com . They have very cool photomicrographs of snow crystals. The site is full of everything you ever wanted to know about snow crystals!

Indigo Ikat

When I was quilting I fell in love with Japanese fabrics. One of my “finds” was a length of indigo ikat that now hangs in my living room. This particular piece was the design of the “second son”; an engineer who left and then returned to the family business. He found that his mathematical training was very important when it came to figuring out how and where to dye the threads.

"In making ikat (meaning 'tie-and-resist' in Indonesian and called 'kasuri' in Japanese), the threads are arranged in bundles and dyed before weaving. Designated spots in the individual bundles are made to resist the dyes by wrapping with various dye-resistant materials. These bundles may be dyed several times, with more wraps added at each stage, similar to the batik process. The bundles are then opened and hand-woven into the intended pattern. The results are a warp or weft that produces a veiled pattern. Due to a slight bleeding of the dyes, patterns created by this technique have a character of softness and an unusual effect which blends with the fabric texture."

Making it Through the Holidays Part 2

Hypothyroidism has been a part of my life since the birth of my youngest. Pregnancy induced, it took almost four years to be diagnosed; my metabolism was pretty much dead in the water with almost all of the classic symptoms. Even though the medication took care of the hormonal deficiencies, it has taken me years to figure out a life style that enhanced my health. I have found that I need vitamins, supplements, low carb food and at least 45 – 60 minutes of exercise a day to maintain the vitality I need to get through each day.

"Hypothyroidism is sometimes referred to as a "silent" disease because early symptoms may be so mild that no one realizes anything is wrong. Untreated symptoms become more noticeable and severe, and can lead to confusion and mental disorders, breathing difficulties, heart problems, fluctuations in body temperature, and death.

Someone who has hypothyroidism will probably have more than one of the following symptoms:

• fatigue
• decreased heart rate
• progressive hearing loss
• weight gain
• problems with memory and concentration
• depression
• goiter (enlarged thyroid gland)
• muscle pain or weakness
• loss of interest in sex
• numb, tingling hands
• dry skin
• swollen eyelids
• dryness, loss, or premature graying of hair
• extreme sensitivity to cold
• constipation
• irregular menstrual periods
• hoarse voice

Hypothyroidism usually develops gradually. When the disease results from surgery or other treatment for hyperthyroidism, symptoms may appear suddenly and include severe muscle cramps in the arms, legs, neck, shoulders, and back.

Natural or synthetic thyroid hormones are used to restore normal (euthyroid) thyroid hormone levels. Synthetic hormones are more effective than natural substances, but it may take several months to determine the correct dosage. Patients start to feel better within 48 hours, but symptoms will return if they stop taking the medication.

Most doctors prescribe levothyroxine sodium tablets, and most people with hypothyroidism will take the medication for the rest of their lives. Aging, other medications, and changes in weight and general health can affect how much replacement hormone a patient needs, and regular TSH tests are used to monitor hormone levels."

Mary Shamon is the best lay expert on thyroid issues. I have her book “The Thyroid Diet”. Her latest newsletter gives these tips for getting through the winter:

Winterize Your Thyroid

From Mary Shomon,Your Guide to Thyroid Disease.

10 Tips For Surviving the Winter Cold

It's that time of year when much of the country is up to its neck in freezing cold weather, and pockets of snow, ice, and cold have taken hold all around the nation. Surviving the cold weather season means it's time to pay attention to some tips that can help you "winterize" your thyroid, and enjoy better health during these colder months.

1. Get your TSH checked.

Cold weather can increase your body's need for thyroid hormone, make you more hypothyroid, and may cause your TSH to rise. If you notice hypothyroid symptoms worsening as the weather gets colder, it's worth having your blood levels evaluated. You may need a slight increase in your thyroid hormone replacement dosage. Some doctors even make it a standard practice to raise their patients' dosages slightly during colder months, in order to meet the body's requirements.

2. Tune up your TSH.

If you're still having significant hypothyroid symptoms, it's a good time to check in with your physician to discuss whether you are at the optimum TSH level for you. Some patients feel best when TSH levels are at low-normal range, so it's worth discussing with your doctor. Keep in mind, as of late 2005, the recommended "normal range" for TSH is .3 to 3.0, but most labs and doctors are still using the .5 to 5.0 range Some practitioners has stated that you can have hypothyroidism symptoms at levels of 2.0 and above.

3. Make sure you're on the optimal thyroid drug for you.

Some patients feel better on the natural Armour thyroid, others need the addition of a T3 drug like Cytomel, and some do best when switching from one brand of synthetic levothyroxine, i.e., Synthroid or Levoxyl, to another, i.e., Unithroid. Make sure you're on the right drug that relieves the majority of your hypothyroidism symptoms.

4. Start exercising.

Cold weather blues may make you less likely to work out, but there's no better time to begin a regular program of exercise. Whether you join a gym, start a walking program, take a yoga class, or do Pilates tapes, even a gentle exercise program can help banish the blues and relieve stress -- not to mention help avoid winter weight gain.

5. Get some sunlight every day.

There's evidence that exposure to sunlight affects hormones that have an impact on both brain chemistry and the endocrine system. Even if you don't suffer from a full-out case of "seasonal affective disorder," 20 to 30 minutes a day of outdoor light exposure can help ward off fatigue and depression. My doctor's own tip...if you don't want to be outside for prolonged periods when it's cold, go run errands in your car, but keep the window open, so you are exposed to the natural sunlight. (Keep in mind, wearing sunglasses will reduce the benefit of the sunlight.) If you have a more pronounced seasonal affective disorder, and find yourself gaining weight and feeling significantly depressed during the colder months, consider light therapy.

6. Eat less sugar.

While a cold day may say hot chocolate and cookies, that may be the worst thing you can do. Many people with thyroid conditions find that they are susceptible to processed sugar, in a number of different ways. They may have some underlying yeast overgrowth candidiasis, or they may have some level of insulin resistance, or they may have some autoimmune susceptibility or food allergies to processed sugars. But with the double whammy of winter weight gain and depression both being factors that can be affected by too much sugar in the diet, it makes sense to bypass sugary treats as much as possible, in favor of healthier alternatives

7. Get enough sleep.

The average American doesn't get enough sleep. Add a thyroid condition to the mix, and it's clear that many thyroid patients are walking around in a state of chronic sleep deprivation. Autoimmune conditions, hormonal imbalances and difficulty losing weight are all aggravated by insufficient sleep, so it's critical that you make sure you get your zzzz's. How much do you need? The typical adult without a thyroid problem need seven to eight hours -- thyroid patients probably need even more. And in the winter, our bodies seem to need even a bit more. So forego a bit of late night television in favor of a few extra winks, and your body will thank you for it.

8. Reduce your stress.

With work, families, activities and other stressors everpresent, there's no better time for your health to incorporate a form of stress reduction into your daily activities. Keep in mind that different types of stress reduction work best for different people. Some respond well to needlework, or crafts, such as beading or quilting. (For me, for example, crocheting is an excellent stress-buster.) Other people find mind-body exercise such as yoga or tai chi highly effective. Prayer or meditation can be the right stress reduction technique for some. Even remembering to taking frequent stretch breaks while working at your computer can go a long way toward reducing stress.

9. Avoid the flu.

Flu seems to be going around full steam these days, and if you haven't succumbed, you can still avoid it

10. Go with the flow...

Sometimes, you just need to recognize that cold, winter days are nature's way of telling us to slow down. Our new contributor for 2005, columnist C. Geraghty, has some profound insights on the emotional and mind-body aspects of "The Winter Blues" that are well worth reading.

Coffee as a Supplement

And this just in: news justifying that my morning "inhalation" of coffee is absolutely beneficial to my health…..

Study: Caffeine May Boost Memory

"Caffeine revs up brain areas tied to short-term memory, new research shows…

The caffeine dose used in the study was 100 milligrams. That's roughly the amount of caffeine in an 8-ounce cup of coffee, depending on how you brew it."

Coffee: The New Health Food?

"Coffee, the much maligned but undoubtedly beloved beverage, just made headlines for possibly cutting the risk of the latest disease epidemic, type 2 diabetes. And the real news seems to be that the more you drink, the better."

Coffee Is No. 1 Source of Antioxidants

A new study shows coffee is the No. 1 source of antioxidants in the American diet.

"Americans get more of their antioxidants from coffee than any other dietary source. Nothing else comes close," says researcher Joe Vinson, PhD, a chemistry professor at the University of Scranton, in a news release.”

Be still my heart......

True cost of Christmas: $18,348.87

From MSN.com

“This year's headlines had an impact on the index. Avian flu? Those swans and geese are going to cost you more because of a spike in the price of large birds. And the French hens? You can't import them from France this year -- though there are domestic suppliers. Meanwhile, energy prices are driving up some delivery costs.”

It’s a good thing my kids don’t want anything off this list. My boys have graduated from Legos to: electronics, hard drives, graphics cards, sound systems, memory for MP3 players, and soccer goalie gloves - to list a few. For myself ? The laptop (purchased), tires and shocks for my car (soon), CDs, books, dark chocolate (preferably the very dark, black wrapped Lindt Truffle balls), and lotions / potions pretty much make up my wish list.

First, though, I have to take care of my youngest son’s birthday. He is 14 tomorrow and already taller than me. Although he has received his present early (snowboard), I still have to bake a cake to take to school and one for home.

Happy Birthday Baby!

International Time

Time and Date

As a result of trying to figure out the time difference between Maine and Baghdad, I found this nifty site that lets you build your own set of online “clocks”. The Time and Date site has a multitude of features including world clocks and calendars. You can build your own set of clocks if you have friends elsewhere in the world and you want to know if they are “up” or sleeping. My own constructed clock contains info for the west coast, east coast, Sweden and Tehran.

The true international date and time site is Greenwich Mean Time.

There is also the United States Naval Time Service Department (division of the US Naval Observatory):

The Official Source of Time for the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Global Positioning System (GPS), and a Standard of Time for the United States.

And then of course there is Time.gov.

Making it through the holidays in one piece.

These festive tips came from the newest Jon Gordon newsletter:

1. Ho, Ho, Ho like Santa
Remember to breathe to reduce stress. When you are running around during the holidays you often forget to breathe. When we get stressed we take shorter breathes which means less oxygen and energy for our brain and body. By focusing on your breathing you will maximize your energy and keep stress from zapping you.

2. Eat like a Reindeer
- The key is to graze and eat smaller meals so you don't eat the entire appetizer table at your next holiday party. Eat smaller more frequent meals during the day to maintain your blood sugar level and optimize your energy level during the day. Too often we eat large meals during the holiday season. This zaps our energy and causes the dreaded after lunch or dinner food coma.
- Also eat soup before a party since studies show you will eat less at dinner if you start your meal with soup.
- While shopping carry around a bag of almonds and raisins so you will have a nutritious and energizing snack to keep you going as you shop, shop, shop.

3. Play like an Elf
Remember to have fun this holiday season. Remember what it felt like to be a child during the holidays and let this memory inspire you to smile, laugh and play this year. Why do children and elves always have so much fun? Because they smile, have fun and play games. Buy a red Rudolf nose and whenever you find yourself being a scrooge put the nose on and make people laugh.

Turin 2006

The XXth Olympic Winter Games take place in Turin, Italy from the 10^th through the 26^th of February. The Olympic Flame was lit, today, in Greece:

“The start of the XX Olympic Winter Games – Torino 2006 drew a step closer today as the Olympic Flame was kindled in Olympia, Greece. Ignited in the traditional way by the High Priestess, actress Theodora Siarkou, the flame was then used to light the official torch of the Turin Games. Following a short stay in Greece, the Olympic Flame will be flown to Rome, and the Torino 2006 Olympic Torch Relay will begin its Italian journey on 8 December 2005.”

A Murder of Crows

A Murder of Crows

At Thanksgiving dinner someone asked what a group of eagles would be called. None of us knew but, I had a book at home that might provide the answer.

Many years back, through Verbatim Magazine, I obtained a copy of “An Exaltation of Larks or, The Venereal Game” by James Lipton. It provides page after page of collective nouns – real and imagined.

I googled and came up with these sites for lists of collective nouns or venereal terms:

Venereal Terms

The Collective Nouns

This one is my favorite and is arranged by birds, beasts, people and things:

Collective Nouns

And the answer to our dinner question: a convocation of eagles or an aerie of eagles.

First Snow of the Season

This morning we woke up to the first snow of the season. It’s a bit brisk out. The snow is melting on the roads but sticking to the leaves. Today’s landmark is that my son will be getting his driver’s permit and wants to drive home after the last class.

For me, it’s a deep breath and the thought – how did he grow up so fast. Like any other mother, the day I birthed this baby is still firmly etched in my memory. As will today’s first time behind the wheel of the family car: an American rite of passage.

I spoke with my mom this morning. She did it, without comment, five times; once for myself and then with each of my siblings. Each time she held her breath and her tongue, which I hope I do as well.

A book and a laptop

I finally received my copy of “Perfect Digital Photography” from Overstock. In the review of the book:

"Written by photography experts--including a Pulitzer-Prize winning National Geographic photographer--this full-color book is a must-have for amateur photographers serious about improving both the quality of their photographs and their proficiency in the digital darkroom. The book is the perfect combination of a technical treatise on digital imaging and an artistic exploration of light, composition, and form, allowing you to glean the essential techniques needed for digital photography without losing sight of the artistic and aesthetic aspects of the craft. Using an easy-to-follow approach, the authors explain the image conceptualization process through shooting, editing, and image correction to finished print. In addition, top photographers from a variety of disciplines offer real-world advice on how they use digital photography to create compelling images for high-profile magazine articles, advertising campaigns, and fine art prints. Bonus tutorials at the end of the book offer step-by-step instruction in ten of the most important skills any digital photographer should know.

The authors:

Jay Kinghorn (Boulder, CO), an assignment and fine art photographer, gives training programs and lectures nationwide, and has a syndicated column on digital imaging.

Jay Dickman (Littleton, CO) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer and a regular contributor to National Geographic"

I will be reading it over the long holiday.

AND

The Laptop has arrived and it is magnificent. I love the screen size (17”) and the weight of it. It came ready to use – nothing had to be downloaded (except Firefox/Mozilla). With a wireless connection, I was online almost as soon as I got it up and running. I’ve been working on the photo end of things this evening.

I am enthralled.

Meditation to Reduce the Effects of Aging

( Epcot in Florida - my photo)

Study: Meditation may boost brain activity

“Regular meditation has been touted as a stress reducer for years, but a recent study says practitioners benefit from a brain boost as well. CNN anchor Fredericka Whitfield spoke with Sara Lazar, a research scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital and an instructor at Harvard Medical School, about the study and meditation's apparent benefits.”

And short how-to:

Steps of Mindfulness Meditation

1. Sit comfortably, with your eyes closed and your spine reasonably straight.
2. Direct your attention to your breathing.
3. When thoughts, emotions, physical sensations or external sounds occur, simply accept them, allowing them to come and go without judging or getting involved with them.
4. When you notice that your attention has drifted off and become engaged in thoughts or emotions, simply bring it back to your breathing and continue.

· Remember... it's ok and natural for thoughts to arise, and for your attention to follow them. No matter how many times this happens, just keep bringing your attention back to your breathing.

Benefits of this meditation:

• Maintaining your calm inner awareness, balance & clarity in the midst of any situation.
• A gradual shift to a higher level of consciousness... centered in the peace, joy & freedom of your Spirit.
• Increased insight & clarity... seeing things truly, as they are.
• Stress reduction.

For a longer version of how to do mindfulness meditation check here.

November is Pomegranate Month

“The pomegranate is not only beautiful to look at and delicious to eat, but is loaded with health benefits.

Pomegranates are an excellent source of Vitamin C. In addition, the pomegranate is rich in polyphenols, some of the most powerful of the antioxidants. And there’s more: each seed provides a satisfying crunch and a bit of fiber in every bite.“

The word pomegranate comes from Middle French and means “seeded apple”.

I found a box of four large and succulent pomegranates while out doing errands today. I took the seeds from half and added them to my plain yogurt - absolutely delicious. The pomegranate seeds are sweet enough to flavor the yogurt. Directions on how to open a pomegranate are found here. Recipes from the POM Wonderful site are found here. And if you want to pursue the “history” behind pomegranates you will find that here.

“The pomegranate is native to Asia, from the Middle East to the Himalayas, where it grows in sandy or rocky scrublands. It is cultivated for its fruit and showy flowers in much of the Mediterranean region and tropical America. The pomegranate has escaped cultivation and become established in parts of southern Europe and the American South and Southwest.” Additional botanical information can be found here.

A laptop for me.

I just received an e-mail telling me that my new laptop is in transit. I ordered a Dell Inspiron 9300 after looking at all of my options (including financing) for the last few weeks. I've customized it with some photo software and some "work" software. It means I don't have to go begging time from my kids.

I am thrilled.

Reading

Working on:

“Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell” by Susanna Clarke

“The Accidental Masterpiece: On the Art of Life and Vice Versa” by Michael Kimmelman

“The Lost Painting” by Jonathan Harr

“The Language of Letting Go” by Melody Beattie

And, just checked out of the library:

“Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix” by Charles R. Cross

“Vanish” by Tess Gerritson

“With No One as Witness” by Elizabeth George

Books.

The original laptop.

Light

My photos taken in Florida, Maine, and Florida.

Magazine Diversion

The magazine “La Cucina Italiana” was just dropped off at my desk. What a treat to flip through and look at all that marvelous food just waiting to be cooked in my kitchen. La Cucina is one of my favorites and I have many back issues tucked away at home.

"The Magazine of La Cucina Italiana is a bi-monthly publication that is unique in its authoritative approach to Italian cuisine, travel, wine, and culture. Readers rely on it for in-depth and accurate information concerning Italian food, wonderful Italian recipes, as well as places and people of interest, and Italian specialty food shops in the United States and around the world."

I also have back issues of Saveur in my library. Another wonderful magazine filled with global recipes and pictures.

"Saveur tells the life story of food - visiting the places it comes from, meeting the people who create it. As we trace food to its birthplace, we see it in a new way, understand it better, discover how it really works and why. Saveur is about real food, real places, real people, with a story behind every dish."

Both magazines turn a 15 minute break into a cultural mini-vacation.

I want this book......

Yes......I want this book and will probably try to find it at Borders this weekend. In the meantime here is the review posted on Amazon:

From Publishers Weekly
Dowd's Bushworld, collecting her amped New York Times op-eds, hit big during the 2004 presidential campaign. This follow-up is as slapdash as the earlier book was slash-and-burn. What Dowd seems really to want to do is dish up anecdotes of gender bias in the media, which she does with her usual aplomb—everything from how Elizabeth Vargas was booted out of Peter Jennings's vacant chair at ABC during his illness ("I'm not sure if she has the gravitas," opines an exec) to the guys who won't date Dowd because she's got more Beltway juice (and money) than they. The rest is padding: endless secondary source and pundit quotes ("In Time, Andrew Sullivan wondered: 'So a woman is less a woman if she is a scientist or journalist or Prime Minister?' "); examples of gender relations gone wrong in books, film and TV; random interview blips ("Carrie, a publicist in her late twenties from Long Island, told me...."); little musings from girlhood that are rarely revealing enough; endless career rehashes of everyone from Anita Hill to Helen Gurley Brown. A chapter on dating is a mishmash of everything from The Rules to He's Just Not That into You; one on reproductive science (that asks the title question for real) ends up referring a lot to orgasm. It's intermittently entertaining, but neither sharp enough nor sustained enough to work as a book.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

You can read an exerpt here.

And if you want to read an interview with Maureen Dowd you will find it here.

The Art of the Album Cover

Arts and Letters has a link to an interesting article about the origins of record album cover art and Alex Steinweiss. A book about his work is available at Amazon:

For the Record: The Life and Work of Alex Steinweiss

Before Alex Steinweiss invented the illustrated album cover in 1938, at the age of 23, records came in drab wrappers. Steinweiss's idea to create a package that would lure the consumer with snappy graphics while protecting the record proved an instant success; sales of the first such record, Smash Song Hits by Rodgers & Hart, soared. This simple idea revolutionized the record business & spawned an entire new field of design--album cover art--that is now inseparable from the product it promotes. Steinweiss's covers are still regarded as icons of the genre. He designed them as miniature posters, with eye-catching graphics, distinctive & vivid colors, & creative, even playful, typography, often incorporating his much-imitated "Steinweiss scrawl" lettering. The Steinweiss style went hand in hand with the golden age of jazz, classical, & popular music dominated by Columbia, RCA, Decca, Victor, & London Records.

A nice, short biography can be found here.

And...

There is a really cool online exhibit that includes his covers and those of other artists of the 60's and 70's. You can find the exhibit about 3/4 of the way down the page. Once you click on it you will interact with a new window. You have to actually place the needle of the record player on each track to view a different decade of cover art. It is very clever.

I remember how difficult it was to pick songs off a record to play individually. And, having to replace the diamond needle every so often. I still have a box of "vinyl" up in the attic. Most of my favorites have now been replaced with CDs.

Bumper crop of stars....

The close quarters of Robert's Quartet have ignited wide-spread star birth in two of its four galaxies
(Image: FORS2/VLT/ESO)

Intergalactic attraction creates bumper star crop


* 17:15 07 November 2005

* NewScientist.com news service

* Maggie McKee


"Hundreds of new stars are igniting in the wake of intense gravitational interactions between four galaxies, new observations reveal.

The four galaxies – called Robert's Quartet – lie about 160 million light years from Earth in the southern constellation Phoenix. They are crowded into a space just 150,000 light years across – only 1.5 times the width of our galaxy, the Milky Way.

That proximity makes them one of the best known examples of a compact group of galaxies, whose members gravitationally disturb each other. In the group's largest galaxy, NGC 92 (left), that interaction has sparked the creation of about 200 star-forming regions and unravelled a stream of gas and dust stretching 100,000 light years.

Nearly 60 stellar nurseries have sprung up in the irregular galaxy NGC 87, in the upper right of the image, while a ring of enhanced star birth circles the spiral galaxy NGC 89 (lower middle). The observations were made with the FORS2 spectrograph on the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile."

Chromium Picolinate

I have been taking vitamins and supplements since an experience with panic attacks in the 80's. Along with some diet changes I started taking B vitamins. I have since added in E, Folic Acid, C, baby aspirin and Soy. About 4 years ago I discovered the Source Natural Life Force Multiple which is now one of the top ranked multiple vitamins. This was about the same time that I changed my food habits over to "low carb". I have to say my health has never been better; there are very few colds or flus in my household.

This fall has been an emotional rollercoaster (see previous posts) and I feel like I need something to take the edge off emotions that seem to be bordering depression. Some new information has come out (new studies) on chromium picolanate and the help that it may provide treating carb cravings resulting from "atypical" depression:

Chromium is an essential trace mineral whose main function is to work with insulin to metabolize carbohydrates, fats and proteins. When chromium is bound to picolinic acid to create chromium picolinate, absorption in the body is significantly improved. Recently the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recognized chromium picolinate as a safe nutritional supplement.

Carbohydrate cravings, weight gain and unexplained fatigue are characteristic symptoms of atypical depression, a common but frequently undiagnosed depressive disorder affecting up to 42 percent of the 19 million Americans diagnosed with depression. “These results suggest that the use of chromium picolinate may be beneficial for patients with atypical depression who also have severe carbohydrate craving,” said the study's lead investigator, John P. Docherty, M.D., president and CEO of Comprehensive NeuroScience Inc, and adjunct professor of psychiatry at Weill Medical College of Cornell University. “For years, the link between depression, insulin sensitivity, and the value of dietary chromium picolinate has been hinted at in small studies and this trial may bring us closer to understanding the connection.”

What is chromium?:

Chromium is a mineral required in small quantities by the body. It enables insulin to function normally and helps the body process (metabolize) carbohydrates and fats. Good sources of chromium include carrots, potatoes, broccoli, whole-grain products, and molasses. Picolinate, a by-product of the amino acid tryptophan, is paired with chromium in supplements because it is claimed to help the body absorb chromium more efficiently.

I picked a chromium supplement produced by Source Naturals. I know from reading about the study it will about 8 weeks to really notice a difference. Stay tuned.....

Lead in Chocolate

This is the latest concerning dark chocolate:

"Chocolates are among the more lead-contaminated foods. A new study has probed the source of chocolate's lead and concludes it's not the cocoa bean. Its concentrations of the toxic metal were among the lowest recorded for any foodstuff.



Missing from the label of chocolate candies...is any notice that such treats have a surprise contaminant: the toxic metal lead. Dark chocolates tend to have the most lead.



Even after completion of the study, however, the major source remains unidentified, notes study leader Charley W. Rankin of the University of California, Santa Cruz. That's too bad, the environmental chemist says, because since it's nevertheless obvious that most of chocolate's lead isn't from cocoa beans when they're picked, the contaminant should be easy to eliminate—once scientists pin down at what stage of chocolate production it originates.



How serious is the lead problem? "I'm not going to suggest that you curb your chocolate consumption," says Rankin. For most people, he says, the amount of lead in even the more-tainted chocolates isn't high enough to cause health problems. However, he worries, for young children or elderly individuals living with lead-tainted pipes or paint, eating lots of chocolate could aggravate health risks by offering an unnecessary additional source of the metal.



The new study shows that dark chocolates, including bittersweet and semisweet candies, had the highest lead concentrations—roughly 30 to 70 nanograms of the heavy metal per gram versus just 11 to 35 ng/g in milk chocolate. Dark chocolates are the types frequently used in gourmet confections and in most chocolate chip cookies. They also contain the highest concentrations of heart-friendly chemicals.



To the Santa Cruz scientists, the interesting question has become: At which point does most of the lead enter constituents of chocolate—in the field, after harvest, during shipping, during some other stage? At present, they have no answers."

They just don't make things the way they used to....

Life has not let up since September. My heart remains broken, my son is doing everything he can to flunk out of high school, my ex is still not paying child support, and this week I had to replace the engine in my 1998 Ford Explorer. My mechanic was surprised that I
was replacing the engine and not the transmission. I am thankful the car (loaded with kids) broke down at a stop light and not on the turnpike.

Last fall I finally bought a new washer and dryer to replace a set that I had used for 17 years. When the warranty was explained to me, I was also told not to expect more than 7-9 years of service out of the new appliances.

What???

We really are a throw away society.

I plan to run the car through the winter and take the time to figure out what I want for my next car. I'm also giving my self a Christmas present of shocks and tires.

And now I brace myself..........What next???

Congratulations to Jason Varitek

With a son whose passion is baseball, I have become more than an interested bystander. I listen to games on the radio and follow our beloved Red Sox team as faithfully as a golden retriever. There has been a lot of disquieting news this week that will mean changes for the team as we know it. I can't second guess management - just as I tell my son not to second guess his coach. I can only trust that whatever doors close, others will open.

There was one piece of news yesterday that was heartening and that was the announcement that Jason Varitek has become a 2005 Golden Glove winner. He joins only two other Boston Red Sox Golden Glove catchers: Carlton Fisk (1972) and Tony Pena (1991). Not knowing much about the award I have looked it up:

"In American baseball, the Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to simply as the Gold Glove, is the award annually given to the Major League player judged to be the most "superior individual fielding performance" at each position (in each league), as voted by the managers and coaches in each league. Eighteen Gold Gloves are awarded each year, one at each of nine positions to a player in both the National League and American League."

And this specifically on Jason Varitek:

Varitek catches first Gold Glove
Sox captain lauded for his stellar defense behind home plate

By Ian Browne / MLB.com

"For years now, the defense of Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek has been equally marveled at by teammates, opponents, fans and media members. Finally, Varitek has a Gold Glove to go along with all the accolades.

When this year's Rawlings Gold Glove winners were unveiled on Tuesday, Varitek was named the top defensive catcher in the American League.

Not only was it a personal milestone for Varitek, it marked the first time that the Red Sox have had a Gold Glove winner since 1991, when Tony Peña -- also a catcher -- received the award."

Well Deserved!

Day of the Dead

(http://www.mexicansugarskull.com/mexicansugarskull/)

I love exploring the customs and crafts of other cultures. One of the videos that my kids loved to watch each Halloween was "The Halloween Tree" :

"Spock (Leonard Nimoy) waxes spooky as Death personified in this video retelling of Ray Bradbury's classic Halloween adventure. A Hanna-Barbera animated presentation, The Halloween Tree tells the story of four close friends who must face their greatest fears as they travel through time to save their dear comrade, Pip. It's Halloween night, Pip's favorite holiday, and the friends are baffled to spot his spirit running through the woods when they've just seen his body hauled off in an ambulance. Mustering their courage, they follow the spirit and meet Moundshroud (Nimoy), the mysterious black-caped proprietor of a haunted house. Moundshroud challenges them each to gain a deeper understanding of the origins of this ghostly holiday as he leads them on an educational journey through faraway places and time periods. From Egyptian sarcophaguses to Mexican graveyards, the children learn the legends behind Halloween and the importance they place on their friendship with Pip. Imaginative, not too scary, well-acted, and nicely drawn, this hour-long treat will appeal to little spooks ages 5 and older. A short Yogi Bear "classic" involving a witch vacationing in Jellystone Park opens the show; parents not into reminiscing might wish to fast-forward past this dated time-waster."

We learned that Halloween is just the beginning of the days that celebrate the departed. Today is the Day of the Dead:

"...(Día de los Muertos in Spanish) is a Mexican celebration of the memory of deceased ancestors. It is celebrated on November 1 and November 2, coinciding with the similar Roman Catholic celebrations of All Saints Day and All Souls Day. While it is primarily viewed as a Mexican holiday, it is also celebrated in communities in the United States with large populations of Mexican-Americans, the Philippines and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Latin America. Despite the morbid subject matter, this holiday is celebrated joyfully, and though it occurs at the same time as Halloween, All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day, the mood of The Day of the Dead is much lighter, with the emphasis on celebrating and honoring the lives of the deceased, rather than fearing evil or malevolent spirits."

Photographs that illustrate many aspects of The Day of the Dead are found on this website:

http://www.dayofthedead.com/Photographs.html

In Honor of Halloween

Eugène Thiébault (French, b. 1825)

Henri Robin and a Specter,

1863Albumen silver print; 22.9 x 17.4 cm

Collection Gérard Lévy, Paris

One of my favorite Sunday activities is watching CBS's Sunday Morning TV magazine with my last cup of coffee. Besides news, there are many pieces that I find fascinating. This past Sunday there was a piece that included information about an exhibit at the The Metropolitan Museum of Art called The Perfect Medium: Photography and the Occult running September 27, 2005–December 31, 2005 in The Harriette and Noel Levine Gallery and the Howard Gilman Gallery. There are many times that I wish I lived much closer to NYC and usually it's when I see exhibits that I want to attend at the MMA.

Happy Halloween

Eastern Standard Time and Cell Phones

Early this morning, after 48 hours of providing chauffeur service for six teens going in different directions, I fell into bed exhausted. It was the kind of exhaustion that sends me into a deep, dreamless sleep before my head even hits the pillow. I woke several hours later realizing I hadn’t set any clock back to EST (alarm, microwave, and wall). I checked the cell phones and there was the current time - a lifesaver as I groggily went through the house changing all of the other clocks.

I was dragged into the cellular phone world kicking and screaming and now, just like the microwave, I don’t know how we got along without them. I know where my teens are at any given moment……as long as they answer the phone. The bill at the end of the month is more than worth the price of my peace of mind.

Should you not have a cell phone and want to check the correct time you can do it at the “Official US Time” website.

Reflection

"Is it art? In November of 1969, Apollo 12 astronaut-photographer Charles "Pete" Conrad recorded this masterpiece while documenting colleague Alan Bean's lunar soil collection activities on the Oceanus Procellarum. The image is dramatic and stark. Bean is faceless. The harsh environment of the Moon's Ocean of Storms is echoed in his helmet's perfectly composed reflection of Conrad and the lunar horizon. Works of photojournalists originally intent on recording the human condition on planet Earth, such as Lewis W. Hine's images from New York City in the early 20th century, or Margaret Bourke-White's magazine photography are widely regarded as art. Similarly many documentary astronomy and space images can be appreciated for their artistic and esthetic appeal."

This picture was used as an "Astronomy Picture of the Day" a couple years back. It was just used again by Nasa in their science news to explain:

"Which parts of an astronaut are most sensitive to solar flares?

Protecting the hips may be a key to surviving solar storms. Other sensitive areas are the shoulders, spine, thighs, sternum and skull.

Why this odd list of body parts? The bones in these areas contain marrow -- the "blood factory" of the body. Delicate bone marrow cells are especially vulnerable to solar storms; a major dose of solar protons coursing through the body could wipe them out. And without these blood-forming marrow cells churning out a steady stream of new blood cells, a person would run out of blood in as little as a week. A bone marrow transplant would be required--stat!--but they don't do those on the Moon.

So to survive a solar radiation storm, your first priority must be to protect your bone marrow."

So now you will be prepared when you take your next ride into space!

And - is this not a really great picture?

Yes! ...and Yes!

Chicago White Sox celebrate after sweeping the Houston Astros to win the World Series. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)

White Sox another example of AL superiority

"For the second straight season, an American League team has thoroughly dominated a National League team in the World Series.This year the Chicago White Sox won four consecutive games against the Houston Astros – and they did it a different way each time.

One night it was flame-throwing relief pitching. The next night a game-winning home run. After that came a war of attrition in a five hour, 41 minute marathon. And finally a 1-0 squeaker.

The games were close, but the same team always won."

Steve Gardner: USATODAY.com's baseball editor.

AND

Ortiz wins AL Hank Aaron AwardDH slugger named best all-around hitter in American League.

"Ortiz burst onto the scene with the Red Sox in 2003, fresh off being released by the Twins, and clubbed 31 homers and drove in 101 runs.

The next year? All he did was belt 41 homers, knock in 139 RBIs and lead the Red Sox to their first World Series championship in 86 years with an epic October performance.

You wouldn't think a worthy encore was possible for '05, but Ortiz did just that, establishing career highs in runs (119), hits (180), homers (47), RBIs (148), total bases (363), walks (102) and OPS (1.001).

Ortiz won the award in online voting among the fans."

He got my vote!!!

5 Hours and 41 Minutes later.....

Sweep.....Sweep.....Sweep.....

In Memory of...

Sea Lilies on the Move

Being a Marine Biology major, this article from Science News Online caught my attention this morning:

Great Galloping Crinoids: Lilylike sea animal takes a brisk walk

Excerpts from the article:

"A video has caught an underwater animal, which looks like a flower, practically jogging along the ocean bottom...

Crinoids, which are relatives of starfish and sea urchins, once had achieved such abundance and diversity that paleontologists refer to the period 350 million years ago as the age of crinoids. Today, only two main forms remain...

A stalked crinoid pulled itself along the bottom briskly enough for a viewer to notice. Baumiller and Charles Messing of Nova Southeastern University's Oceanographic Center in Dania Beach, Fla., measured its pace at 140 m per hour. Baumiller presented the video in Salt Lake City on Oct. 16 at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America."

Fascinating!