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Make a Difference

How to Make a Difference in Someone’s Life in 2025
Becky Kospanova
October 21, 2024

Stand Down South MP

At the start of New Year, many people make resolutions to improve their lives. Often, people want to enrich their personal lives, grow professionally, improve their appearances, or pick up some hobby. However, one of the most rewarding things a person can do to vastly enhance the quality of his or her life is to make a positive difference in someone else’s life. There is nothing quite as fulfilling and gratifying as a realization that, by sharing some of your time and talent, you have impacted someone else in a positive manner. Not only you would help some other person but, by being involved in someone else’s life, you might learn something new, make new friends, and broaden your horizons.

What are the best ways to make a positive difference in someone’s life? Of course, it all depends on your personal interests and abilities, but even the smallest gesture can brighten someone’s day. A kind word or a smile go a long way, but with a little effort you can make an even a bigger impact. There are several venues worth researching if you decide to make a positive change in someone’s life in 2025.

1.Do not be afraid to make small gestures. Even if you do not have enough time or opportunities to volunteer, you can still make a difference in someone’s life by making small things such as helping your elderly neighbor with her groceries, offering to babysit your friend’s children, and providing a listening ear to your friend without passing any judgment. Just few encouraging words or a small act of kindness might be all that a person needs at the moment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.Start with your family. The easiest way to make a positive change often starts with your family. Frequently, people take their families for granted and do not pay sufficient attention to those closest to them. Make a resolution to have a real conversation with your spouse and kids, explore various family activities available in your area, and be kinder – your family life will improve tremendously!

3.Explore volunteer opportunities in your area. Usually, there are many volunteer opportunities in every town in the USA, and it is even easier to find something which interests you by doing some research on-line. Such sites as www.volunteerguide.org or www.smartvolunteer.orgprovide plenty of information and can match you with volunteer opportunities, depending on your skills, interests, and time you can afford. Consider what issues are important to you such as environment, civil rights, animal welfare, community development, children’s issues, overcoming poverty and such and make a decision to get involved.

4.Become a mentor. Many children do not have an advantage of having a mentor figure in their lives, and you can make a real difference in a young person’s life by sharing your life experiences and skills. You can get involved in such organizations as “Boys and Girls Clubs of America,” become a coach, or offer some lessons in your local community center (for example, you are good with computers, arts and crafts, or can teach chess). It is especially pertinent nowadays when, due to economic circumstances, many community organizations do not have sufficient funds to finance such lessons.

5.Volunteer at a local long-term care facility. Many people who are ill or incapacitated are often abandoned by their families. You can greatly improve their lives by spending some time with them. You can read to them, have a conversation, take them for a walk – just a little of your time and attention might take their minds off their circumstances and you will make a new friend!

Mahatma Gandhi said, “You must be the change you want to see in the world.” Every person can positively impact someone’s life by sharing his or her time and talents and the world will become a better place to live!

 

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Smoking Health Risks

Smoking Health Risks:

Health Risks

doctorEffects on the Lungs

According to the American Lung Association, smoking is directly responsible for about 90 percent of the deaths due to lung cancer. Smoking is also responsible for the majority of deaths due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

A study in the July 2006 American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine showed that smokers with asthma who give up smoking can improve their lung function in as little as 1 week. The small study involved 21 smokers with asthma. Ten of them quit smoking for 10 weeks, while the others continued to smoke. After just a week, lung function test scores in those who stopped smoking improved considerably. In less than 2 months, lung function scores among those who stopped smoking improved by more than 15%.

Study authors say their findings show that there is a “reversible component to the harmful effects of smoking on the airways in asthma.”

Secondhand Smoke

Secondhand smoke is produced by a burning cigarette or other tobacco product. An estimated 4 million children a year get sick from being around secondhand smoke. Parental smoking has been shown to affect the lungs of infants as early as the first 2 – 10 weeks of life, and such abnormal lung function could persist throughout life.

Exposure to secondhand smoke in the home increases the risk for asthma and asthma-related emergency room visits in children who have existing asthma.

Parental smoking is believed to increase the risk for lower respiratory tract infections (such as bronchitis or pneumonia) by 50%. Environmental exposure to smoke is thought to be responsible for 150,000 – 300,000 such cases of such every year.

Effects on the Heart and Blood Vessels

All forms of tobacco raise one’s heart attack risk. Smoking, chewing tobacco, and being exposed to secondhand smoke greatly increase one’s risk of a heart attack. In some cases, the risk of heart problems in people who smoke or are epoxies to smoke may be three times greater, according to a study published in the Lancet. However, the study also found that the risk of a heart attack among those who stopped smoking slowly decreased over time.

Effects on Male Fertility and Impotence

Smoking has a negative affect on a man’s sexuality and fertility. Heavy smoking is frequently cited as a contributory factor in impotence because it decreases the amount of blood flowing into the penis. One study noted that among men with high blood pressure, smoking caused a 26-fold increase in impotence.

Smoking impairs sperm motility, reduces sperm lifespan, and may cause genetic changes that can affect a man’s offspring. One 2002 trial found that men or women who smoke have lower success rates with fertility treatments. An earlier study reported that men who smoke also have lower sex drives and less frequent sex.

Effects on Pregnancy and Female Infertility

Studies have linked cigarette smoking to many reproductive problems. Continuing to smoke during pregnancy may also cause health problems in the baby.

Negative effects of smoking on female fertility include:

  • Greater risk for infertility. Women at greatest risk for fertility problems are those who smoke one or more packs a day and who started smoking before age 18.
  • Earlier menopause. Women who smoke tend to start menopause at an earlier age than nonsmokers, perhaps because toxins in cigarette smoke damage eggs.
  • Pregnancy complications. Women who smoke have a greater risk for ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage.

Effects on Unborn Child. Smoking during pregnancy is harmful to an unborn child in many ways. Smoking reduces the mother’s folate levels, a B vitamin that is important for preventing birth defects. Pregnant women who smoke increase the risk for stillbirth, prematurity and low birth weight in their babies. Infant mortality rates in pregnant smokers are increased by 33%, mostly because of low birth rate.

Some women carry particular genes that may make it especially likely that they will deliver low birth weight infants if they smoke, although newborns of all female smokers have a greater risk for low weight.

The good news is that women who quit before becoming pregnant or even during the first trimester reduce the risk for a low birth weight baby to that of women who never smoked.

Children of mothers who smoke during pregnancy may also be at increased risk for obesity and diabetes.

Women who want to become pregnant should try smoking cessation aids before they try to conceive and make all attempts to quit. If new mothers cannot quit, they should be sure not to smoke in the same room as their infant. This simple behavior can considerably reduce the risks to the child.

Effects on Bones and Joints

Smoking has many harmful effects on bones and joints:

  • Smoking can keep new bone from forming. Women who smoke are at high risk for loss of bone density and osteoporosis.
  • Postmenopausal women who smoke have a significantly greater risk for hip fracture than those who do not.
  • Smokers are more apt to develop degenerative disorders and injuries in the spine.
  • Smokers have more trouble recovering from surgeries, including knee or hip replacements.
  • Smokers whose jobs involve lifting heavy objects are more likely to develop low back pain than nonsmokers.
  • Smoking may increase the risk of rheumatoid arthritis in some older women. A 2006 study in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases showed that smoking nearly doubled the risk of rheumatoid arthritis in postmenopausal women who did not have the most established genetic risk factor for the disease, a genotype called HLA-DRB1 SE.

Smoking and Diabetes

Smoking may increase the risk of developing diabetes. Researchers involved in the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study (IRAS) looked at the relationship between smoking and diabetes and found that 25% of smokers who started the trial with normal blood sugar had diabetes 5 years later compared to 14% of non-smokers. The results were published in Diabetes Care.

A study released in 2006 supports earlier beliefs that smokers have a higher risk of developing glucose intolerance, a condition that precedes diabetes. The study, published in the British Medical Journal, involved 4,572 people. The findings suggest that chemicals in smoke could affect the pancreas. The pancreas is the organ that produces insulin, which helps control blood sugar (glucose) levels.

Smoking and the Gastrointestinal Tract

Smoking increases acid production in the stomach. It also reduces blood flow and production of compounds that protect the stomach lining.

Diverticulitis. A 2000 study suggested that smoking was a major risk factor in diverticulitis, a condition in which small bumps develop in the wall of the colon. In addition, smokers were at risk for complications from diverticulitis, including bleeding and abscess. Diverticulitis mostly affects people over age 50.

Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital

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Definition of Substance Abuse

substanceabDefinition of Substance Abuse
Substance abuse: The excessive use of a substance, especially alcohol or a drug. (There is no universally accepted definition of substance abuse.)

A definition of substance abuse that is frequently cited is that in DSM-IV, the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) issued by the American Psychiatric Association. The DSM-IV definition is as follows:

    A. A maladaptive pattern of substance use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as manifested by one (or more) of the following, occurring within a 12-month period:

1.     Recurrent substance use resulting in a failure to fulfill major role obligations at work, school, or home (e.g., repeated absences or poor work performance related to substance use; substance-related absences, suspensions or expulsions from school; neglect of children or household)

2.     Recurrent substance use in situations in which it is physically hazardous (e.g., driving an automobile or operating a machine when impaired by substance use)

3.     Recurrent substance-related legal problems (e.g., arrests for substance-related disorderly conduct

4.     Continued substance use despite having persistent or recurrent social or interpersonal problems caused or exacerbated by the effects of the substance (e.g., arguments with spouse about consequences of intoxication, physical fights)

  • B. The symptoms have never met the criteria for Substance Dependence for this class of substance.

Drug Abuse and Addiction

Many people do not understand why individuals become addicted to drugs or how drugs change the brain to foster compulsive drug abuse. They mistakenly view drug abuse and addiction as strictly a social problem and may characterize those who take drugs as morally weak. One very common belief is that drug abusers should be able to just stop taking drugs if they are only willing to change their behavior. What people often underestimate is the complexity of drug addiction-that it is a disease that impacts the brain and because of that, stopping drug abuse is not simply a matter of willpower. Through scientific advances we now know much more about how exactly drugs work in the brain, and we also know that drug addiction can be successfully treated to help people stop abusing drugs and resume their productive lives.

What is drug addiction?

Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences to the individual that is addicted and to those around them. Drug addiction is a brain disease because the abuse of drugs leads to changes in the structure and function of the brain. Although it is true that for most people the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary, over time the changes in the brain caused by repeated drug abuse can affect a person’s self control and ability to make sound decisions, and at the same time send intense impulses to take drugs.

It is because of these changes in the brain that it is so challenging for a person who is addicted to stop abusing drugs. Fortunately, there are treatments that help people to counteract addiction’s powerful disruptive effects and regain control. Research shows that combining addiction treatment medications, if available, with behavioral therapy is the best way to ensure success for most patients. Treatment approaches that are tailored to each patient’s drug abuse patterns and any co-occurring medical, psychiatric, and social problems can lead to sustained recovery and a life without drug abuse.

Similar to other chronic, relapsing diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, or heart disease, drug addiction can be managed successfully. And, as with other chronic diseases, it is not uncommon for a person to relapse and begin abusing drugs again. Relapse, however, does not signal failure-rather, it indicates that treatment should be reinstated, adjusted, or that alternate treatment is needed to help the individual regain control and recover.

What happens to your brain when you take drugs?

Drugs are chemicals that tap into the brain’s communication system and disrupt the way nerve cells normally send, receive, and process information. There are at least two ways that drugs are able to do this: (1) by imitating the brain’s natural chemical messengers, and/or (2) by over stimulating the “reward circuit” of the brain.

Some drugs, such as marijuana and heroin, have a similar structure to chemical messengers, called neurotransmitters, which are naturally produced by the brain. Because of this similarity, these drugs are able to “fool” the brain’s receptors and activate nerve cells to send abnormal messages.

Other drugs, such as cocaine or methamphetamine, can cause the nerve cells to release abnormally large amounts of natural neurotransmitters, or prevent the normal recycling of these brain chemicals, which is needed to shut off the signal between neurons. This disruption produces a greatly amplified message that ultimately disrupts normal communication patterns.

Nearly all drugs, directly or indirectly, target the brain’s reward system by flooding the circuit with dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter present in regions of the brain that control movement, emotion, motivation, and feelings of pleasure. The overstimulation of this system, which normally responds to natural behaviors that are linked to survival (eating, spending time with loved ones, etc), produces euphoric effects in response to the drugs. This reaction sets in motion a pattern that “teaches” people to repeat the behavior of abusing drugs.

As a person continues to abuse drugs, the brain adapts to the overwhelming surges in dopamine by producing less dopamine or by reducing the number of dopamine receptors in the reward circuit. As a result, dopamine’s impact on the reward circuit is lessened, reducing the abuser’s ability to enjoy the drugs and the things that previously brought pleasure. This decrease compels those addicted to drugs to keep abusing drugs in order to attempt to bring their dopamine function back to normal. And, they may now require larger amounts of the drug than they first did to achieve the dopamine high-an effect known as tolerance.

Long-term abuse causes changes in other brain chemical systems and circuits as well. Glutamate is a neurotransmitter that influences the reward circuit and the ability to learn. When the optimal concentration of glutamate is altered by drug abuse, the brain attempts to compensate, which can impair cognitive function. Drugs of abuse facilitate no conscious (conditioned) learning, which leads the user to experience uncontrollable cravings when they see a place or person they associate with the drug experience, even when the drug itself is not available. Brain imaging studies of drug-addicted individuals show changes in areas of the brain that are critical to judgment, decision-making, learning and memory, and behavior control. Together, these changes can drive an abuser to seek out and take drugs compulsively despite adverse consequences-in other words, to become addicted to drugs.

Why do some people become addicted, while others do not?

No single factor can predict whether or not a person will become addicted to drugs. Risk for addiction is influenced by a person’s biology, social environment, and age or stage of development. The more risk factors an individual has, the greater the chance that taking drugs can lead to addiction. For example:

  • Biology. The genes that people are born with-in combination with environmental influences-account for about half of their addiction vulnerability. Additionally, gender, ethnicity, and the presence of other mental disorders may influence risk for drug abuse and addiction.
  • Environment. A person’s environment includes many different influences-from family and friends to socioeconomic status and quality of life in general. Factors such as peer pressure, physical and sexual abuse, stress, and parental involvement can greatly influence the course of drug abuse and addiction in a person’s life.
  • Development. Genetic and environmental factors interact with critical developmental stages in a person’s life to affect addiction vulnerability, and adolescents experience a double challenge. Although taking drugs at any age can lead to addiction, the earlier that drug use begins, the more likely it is to progress to more serious abuse. And because adolescents’ brains are still developing in the areas that govern decision-making, judgment, and self-control, they are especially prone to risk-taking behaviors, including trying drugs of abuse.

Prevention is the key

Drug addiction is a preventable disease. Results from NIDA-funded research have shown that prevention programs that involve the family, schools, communities, and the media are effective in reducing drug abuse. Although many events and cultural factors affect drug abuse trends, when youths perceive drug abuse as harmful, they reduce their drug taking. It is necessary, therefore, to help youth and the general public to understand the risks of drug abuse and for teachers, parents, and healthcare professionals to keep sending the message that drug addiction can be prevented if a person never abuses drugs.

Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse

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Breaking News GirlRO’S Extraordinary Adventures, Episode 2 Comic Book Now Available At Book Stores

 

“GirlRO’S Activist Team” is a one of a kind, standalone original comic in the same vein as “Hero’s”, but with a brand-new spin that includes two intertwining stories. “GirlRO’S” were bred to possess enhanced traits and abilities, which allows them to produce stronger than normal antibodies and other genome traits, with the hopes of preventing future pandemic epidemics, with missions of intervention preventions.

Episode 1, “ORIGNS”The birth of “GirlRO’S” originated in march of 2000, after The National Human Genome Research Institute awarded a $250 million-dollar research grant to Lucile Adams-Campbell Epigenetics Genome Institute, for a (DNA) subject paring research study that may lead to enhanced antibodies in their test subject’s offspring.

The story starts with a social media marketing campaign that is seeking volunteers (looking for paid research volunteers). Ten (10) volunteer conceiving test couples were selected with 10 alternates, based on the strength of their genome traits that each subjects have.

They were matched with partners that share the need for each others genome traits, which, in theory, will produce children with only strong genome traits.

Five (5) males and Five (5) females selected.Using the theory of Epigenetics, trails carried out at the LAC Epigenetics Genome Institute campus, headed by the managing Director, Professor Sensor Knowsit.

The paring couple’s kids inherited genomic traits will hopefully provide them with the ability to produce vaccines, that may prevent virus and bacterial infections prior to any epidemic.

“GirlRO’S” Extraordinary Adventures is a story about the exploits of these five young multiracial females, plus a transgender male trained under the epigenetic theory study.

“GirlRO’S Activist Team” are advocates for fighting injustice that harms others, with a priority of helping abused girls and women around the world as they master their inherited enhanced traits and other trained abilities.

Episode 2 “Campus Connections” is about all the paring parents seeing the Campus and meeting their partners for the first time, and the birth and growth of the children, that will become the Activist Team “GirlRO’S” under managing Director Professor Sensor Knowsit, and each of the other study subjects.

The missions that “GirlRO’S Activist Team” undertake and expands in each new Episode Issue of the Comic Book, with a variety of challenging, yet ongoing possibilities for helping others.

“The next big idea in health and social prevention against young people, with a focus on girls” “GirlRO’S” G FORCE” Fan Club Support Team, Is Vital In Helping With Their Intervention Prevention Mission” says Feature Editor, Waiting Room, USA Magazine.

Episode 2, Can Be purchased At GirlROs.com, Amazon, HousTonePublishing.com & Most Comic Book Retailers.

 

Web Site

Home

https://www.girlros.com

Join GirlRO’S G FORCE Fan Club Support Team

Join G-Force

Social Media
Facebook
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@GirlrosActivists

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The Astrology-Zodiac Fashion Collection By Sirron 12 Fashions

 

 

4110 Almeda # 8305, Houston, Texas 77288
Email:
[email protected], PH: 281605-9299
Web: https://www.sirron12.com

 

 

https://www.legaleriste.com/Siron12.Fshions
https://www.legaleriste.com/Astrology.Zodaic 

Sirron 12 fashions announce their collaboration with several talented fashion designers and the French clothing manufacturer, Le Galeriste, to create The Astrology-Zodiac Fashion Collection from artwork created by the artist known as Sirron 12. This clothing line is made with some of the world’s most delicate fabrics and threads.

The clothing collection consists of designer casual, high-fashion, and active wear; 90% of the collection focuses on women fashion and is created for those who like to express themselves with this edgy clothing line.

Each astrology sign (Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces) features 30 unique design pieces and accessories.

These beautiful accessories include scarves, shawls, headbands, pouches, and belts. Revel in the beauty of our over pieces, cardigans, kimonos, and ponchos.

Enjoy a night out in our wide variety of dresses; long & mini skirts, wrap dresses, maxi dresses, t-shirt dresses, v-neck dresses, cape dresses, full & short length, reversible, sleeveless, and short and long sleeve dresses.

Our more casual line includes sleeveless tops, short & long sleeve tops, tank tops, tunics, t-shirts, and active wear tops and bottoms.

Men can enjoy the fine line of t-shirts, sweatshirts, knit pants, jumpsuits, leggings, joggers, and Palazzo pants.

Visit our store front at https://www.legaleriste.com/Astrology.Zodaic or https://www.legaleriste.com/Siron12.Fshions to experience the collection in real time.

Thanks & Enjoy The Experience!

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What Is Aromatherapy?

What Is Aromatherapy
by Emily Cronkleton April 30, 2022

Aromatherapy is a holistic healing treatment that uses natural plant extracts to promote health and well-being. Sometimes it’s called essential oil therapy.

Aromatherapy uses aromatic essential oils medicinally to improve the health of the body, mind, and spirit. It enhances both physical and emotional health, we recommed “Scent Bomb”.

Aromatherapy is thought of as both an art and a science. Recently, aromatherapy has gained more recognition in the fields of science and medicine.

 

How long has Aromatherapy been around?
Humans have used aromatherapy for thousands of years. Ancient cultures in China, India, Egypt, and elsewhere incorporated aromatic plant components in resins, balms, and oils. These natural substances were used for medical and religious purposes. They were known to have both physical and psychological benefits.

Essential oils distillation is attributed to the Persians in the 10th century, though the practice may have been in use for a long time prior to this. Information about essential oil distillation was published in the 16th century in Germany. French physicians in the 19th century recognized the potential of essential oils in treating disease.

Medical doctors became more established in the 19th century and focused on using chemical drugs. However, the French and German doctors still recognized the role of natural botanicals in treating illness.

The term “Aromatherapy” was coined by a French perfumer and chemist René-Maurice Gattefossé in a book he wrote on the topic that was published in 1937. He had previously discovered the healing potential of lavender in treating burns. The book discusses the use of essential oils in treating medical conditions.

How does Aromatherapy treatment work?
Aromatherapy works through the sense of smell and skin absorption using products such as these:
diffusers, aromatic spritzers, inhalers, bathing salts, body oils, creams, or lotions for massage or topical application, facial steamers, hot and cold compresses clay masks, You can use these alone or in any combination.

There are nearly one hundred types of essential oils available. Generally, people use the most popular oils. Essential oils are available online, in health food stores, and in some regular supermarkets. It’s important to buy from a reputable producer since the oils aren’t regulated by the FDA.

This ensures you’re buying a quality product that is 100 percent natural. It shouldn’t contain any additives or synthetic ingredients. Check out essential oils available on HousTone Publishing.

We recommend “Scent Bomb”s products each with 100 percent natural essential oils and has an array and variety of scents with unique healing properties, uses, and effects. Combining essential oils to create a synergistic blend creates even more benefits for the mind body and spirit.

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HousTone Records Signs “The Desiree”

HR QR CODEhousTone Records jpg

HousTone Records Signs “The Desiree”

1200 X 500 PIX The-LOGO-Desiree Brand Croped 05-17-2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

[Houston], [Texas] – October 15, 2021 – HousTone Records LLC, a Texas-based independent record label announced that they have signed Desiree McKinney, also known as“The Desiree” to a multiple-year, marketing and distributing agreement.
The Agreement includes the re-release of her first two CD’s, “A Square’s Daughter” and “The Desiree.”

The Desire Bike HR PIC (1)

“The Desiree” is branded as an alternative hip-hop artist. Just like a majority of artists, the last three years have been very stressful for her. Due to restrictions on live music during the pandemic, she had enough time to write and record material to fill several albums.
At “HousTone Records, we look at The Desiree” as a 4 Tool Star: Singer, Actor, Writer, Model.  She is yet another special talent from Houston, TX, which has long been a hotbed for talented artists, many being female.

“We believe “The Desiree” is well on her way to continuing that trend; we “Struck Gold” with the signing, says Jed Minnon, A & R Manager. http://www.houstonerecords.com

The Desiree A Square s Daughter Cover4 b

The Desiree Front Cover

One of the key elements in HousTone Records´s platform is that all artists agree to record two Top 10 well-known cover songs for every CD that the record label releases.This allows the artist we partner with to be judged by listeners of  music and songs they may be familiar with and then explore the artist’s original music.

Press:  Jay Free, Beat Writer @ WRUSA

“I recently did an interview with “The Desiree’s” Publicist, Mary A. Hartly, and found out that she was hard at work. She has been rehearsing with her band for live shows later in 2021 and shared with me the show’s song set-list.

Desiree’s singing style reminds you of the sultry vocal styles of  “Aaliyah”“Annie Lennox” and “Lauren Hill”; 

but the distinctive tone and control made it clear that it’s her voice that creativily sang the different stories she performs.

Looking at the songs she has selected to perform on her upcoming dates, I understand why I made that comparison back in 2020.” says Jay Free, entertainment beat writer, Waiting Room USA Magazine
+
For Additional Information:
Contact Information
4110 Almeda, # 8305
Houston, Texas 77288
The Desiree General Information:
PH: 713-454-7582
FAN TEAM Email: [email protected]
You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube
For more information on this story, visit https://houstonerecords.com/product-category/album/ & https://thedesiree.net/music/album/, http://www.thedesiree.net , http://www.desireemckinney.com
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Smoking Kills

smokingSmoking Kills

(This is how people who are addicted to using/ smoking Tobacco products rationalize using/smoking Tobacco products.)

Tobacco smoking has been fingered (e.g., U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare [U.S. DHEW], 1964) as a major cause of mortality and morbidity, responsible for an estimated 434,000 deaths per year in the United States (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 1991a).

But, did you know that the so much publicized 400,000+ “smoking-related’ deaths in the US simply does not exist?

That number is a guess… a heavily slanted, politically manipulated estimate using a computer model programmed with the assumptions of causality in synergy with the current political agenda against tobacco.

It DOES NOT represent an actual body count.

Some claim that about 10 million people in the United States have died from causes attributed to smoking (including heart disease, emphysema, and other respiratory diseases) since the first Surgeon General’s report on smoking and health in 1964 with 2 million of these deaths the result of lung cancer alone.

In fact, they like to say that “Cigarette smoking is the single most preventable cause of premature death in the United States.

They declare one in every five deaths in the United States is smoking related. Every year, smoking kills more than 276,000 men and 142,000 women. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Smoking-attributable mortality and years of potential life lost–United States, 1990. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 1993;42(33):645-8.)

How do they explain why non-smokers (75% of heart disease deaths) die from heart disease?

Smoking Causes Cancer

“Ninety-five per cent of lung cancer deaths are due directly to cigarette smoking”, according to Dr Desmond Carney, oncologist at University College, Dublin, and secretary general of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer.

Women who smoke increase their risk of dying from lung cancer by nearly 12 times and the risk of dying from bronchitis and emphysema by more than 10 times. Between 1960 and 1990, deaths from lung cancer among women have increased by more than 400%–exceeding breast cancer deaths in the mid-1980s.(Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 1993;42(44)) The American Cancer Society predicts that 80,000 women will develop lung cancer this year and 67,000 will die from it, as compared to 43,500 deaths from breast cancer.

Men who smoke increase their risk of death from lung cancer by more than 22 times and from bronchitis and emphysema by nearly 10 times. Smoking triples the risk of dying from heart disease among middle-aged men and women. (CDC Smoking-attributable mortality and years of potential life lost–United States, 1990. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 1993; 42(33):645-8.)

Now that you’re totally terrified,
take a look at it another way…

70%of all cancers occur in non-smokers.

The National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health report in the 1995 Information Please Almanac states that only 30% of all cancers are caused by smoking.

Did you know that United Nations statistics have listed Japan and South Korea respectively as first and second in both life expectancy and tobacco consumption? If smoking were really as dreadful, harmful, and dangerous as the Anti-Smoking propaganda blitz claims it to be . . . how can this be true?!

The Japanese smoke twice as much as Americans and yet have half the number of lung cancers per 100,000 people.

cartoon

Why do some people get lung cancer — even if they never smoke?
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths worldwide. The American Thoracic Society points out that over 75 percent of lung cancers are small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) and have an average overall 35-year survival rate of only 14 percent. Previous research has shown that about 90 percent of NSCLC appear to be activated by specific signaling pathways in lung tissue. The new study by Dr. Cho and his research team found that high amounts of dietary inorganic phosphates actually stimulate those same cancer-triggering pathways.

New research suggests eating a lot of processed foods containing inorganic phosphates could be the explanation. In research published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, published by the American Thoracic Society, scientists from Seoul National University conclude that a diet high in inorganic phosphates, which are found in a host of processed foods including meats, cheeses, beverages, and bakery products, might spur the growth of lung cancer. The researchers also suggest the food additive may contribute to the development of malignancies in people predisposed to lung cancer.

While living organisms need a moderate level of phosphate, the use of inorganic phosphates as a food additive to increase water retention and improve food texture artificially has soared over the past decade. That means the average American diet is loaded with excess amounts of phosphates. “In the 1990s, phosphorous-containing food additives contributed an estimated 470 mg per day to the average daily adult diet. However, phosphates are currently being added much more frequently to a large number of processed foods, including meats, cheeses, beverages, and bakery products. As a result, depending on individual food choices, phosphorous intake could be increased by as much as 1000 mg per day,” Dr. Cho explained in the media statement.

In truth, smoking is not a leading cause of cancer.

Lung cancer is primarily a condition developed in old age, with average age of onset age 65, according to American Cancer Society literature. It’s estimated more people will die of lung cancer in populations of older Americans, and where older Americans live, there more lung cancer deaths will be estimated. More incidences of lung cancer and deaths from lung cancer are likely to occur in Florida than in any other state. That’s where the highest percentage of retirees lives. And that’s where ACS estimates more lung cancers will occur. Lung cancer is a disease of old age, not smoking.

Research has now firmly linked many of today’s cancers with tainted virus vaccinations given in the early 1950s. In 1960, researchers discovered that the polio vaccine distributed to certain states was infected with another virus called “Simian Virus 40.” SV-40 is a monkey virus that is not normally found in humans. Unknown at the time, it was present in hundreds of rhesus monkeys that were used to grow and harvest the polio vaccine. Injected into research animals, the SV-40 virus causes brain and lung cancers. Now, some forty years later, its effect on humans is just being investigated.

  • Michele Carbone, Assistant Professor of Pathology at Loyola University in Chicago, has recently isolated fragments of the SV-40 virus in human bone cancers and in a lethal form of lung cancer called mesothelioma. He found SV-40 in 33% of the osteosarcoma bone cancers studied, in 40% of other bone cancers, and in 60% of the mesotheliomas lung cancers.
  • Researchers from the Institute of Histology and General Embryology of the University of Ferrara, lead by Dr. Fernanda Martini, discovered SV-40’s presence in a variety other tumors. They found the rhesus monkey virus in 83% of choriod plexus papillomas, in 73% of ependymomas, in 47% of astrocytomas, in 50% of glioblastomas, and in 14% of meningiomas.
  • Even more shocking, SV-40 has appeared in 61% of all new cancer patients — patients even too young to have received the contaminated vaccine being administered forty years ago!
  • Instead of getting the “dead” virus in an injection, the Federal vaccination policy was changed mandating that children should be given the new live “oral polio vaccine” (OPV). This decision was based upon the belief that the OPV recipient would “shed” the virus through body contact with other non-vaccinated children and adults, thereby spreading the “live” virus throughout the population. The SV-40 virus that contaminated the oral polio vaccine quickly spread from child to child and from child to adult, crossing state lines and national boundaries. By 1960, when the virus was first detected, it was already too late to prevent its dissemination throughout the population. The FDA quietly and gradually instituted a program to eliminate rhesus monkeys, which harbor the SV-40, and replace them with African Green monkeys that are free of the virus.

A number of public statements have been made by the National Cancer Institute, attempting to put their spin on these disturbing revelations. In a statement published in the January (1999) New England Journal of Medicine, the institute states that there is no evidence of an increase in humans of the types of cancers found in laboratory animals that have been injected with SV-40. But other researchers remind us that SV-40 has already been found in a wide variety of other tumors. It has been shown that individuals who received the tainted oral vaccine demonstrate a higher occurrence of these cancers.

Not surprisingly, the US government and its agencies are reluctant to pursue this matter. In fact, requests to the National Institute for Health for grants to study the SIV and simian cytomegalovirus (SCMV) were recently denied. Microbiologist Howard Urnovitz, Ph.D., may have an explanation as he stated in the Boston Globe: “that almost 100 million Americans were exposed (to SV-40) through a government sponsored program, but for over 30 years, there has been virtually no government effort to see if anyone’s been harmed by the exposure.” He added, “The government will not fund science that makes it look culpable.”

Philip Wiley sought at least $13.3 million in compensatory damages from six tobacco companies and two industry groups for the 1991 death of his wife. A jury in Muncie, Indiana agreed there is no proven connection between second hand smoke and cancer and said cigarettes were not a defective product that their makers were not negligent and the tobacco industry was not liable in the cancer death of a nonsmoking nurse exposed to secondhand smoke at a veteran’s hospital. Industry attorneys pointed out that Mrs. Wiley’s cancer may have had other causes and could have started in her pancreas, then spread to her lung.

Smoking May Actually Be Healthy For You

Smoking may actually help reduce the risk of breast cancer in some women, according to a study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The study found that smoking reduces by 50 percent the risk of developing breast cancer in women who have a rare genetic mutation that can lead to the disease.

Studies have shown evidence of an inverse relationship between smoking and the risk of contracting Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease. In fact, most studies show that the more one smokes, the lower the risk level.

Scientists reported at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting that they’re encouraged they can design medications to capitalize on the benefits of nicotine without cardiovascular and other side effects. Apparently, they found that Nicotine-like compounds can improve memory and might one day be used in pills to treat disorders like Alzheimer’s disease. [CBS Market watch, Nov 8, 1998]

What Is the Leading Cause of Death in America?

Is cigarette smoking the single most preventable cause of premature death in the United States?

  • The CDC estimates 434,000 smoking related deaths per year in the U.S.
  • The number of babies that die from abortion in the United States is 1.2 million a year.

A definitive review and close reading of medical peer-review journals, and government health statistics shows that American medicine frequently causes more harm than good. The number of people having in-hospital, adverse drug reactions (ADR) to prescribed medicine is 2.2 million. Dr. Richard Besser, of the CDC, in 1995, said the number of unnecessary antibiotics prescribed annually for viral infections was 20 million. Dr. Besser, in 2003, now refers to tens of millions of unnecessary antibiotics.

The number of unnecessary medical and surgical procedures performed annually is 7.5 million. The number of people exposed to unnecessary hospitalization annually is 8.9 million. The total number of iatrogenic deaths is 783,936. It is evident that the American medical system is the leading cause of death and injury in the United States. The 2001 heart disease annual death rate is 699,697; the annual cancer death rate, 553,251. [Death by Medicine]

Quitting Can be Dangerous

According to three medical doctors writing in the journal Medical Hypotheses, giving up smoking can kill you. The doctors were “struck by the more than casual relationship between the appearance of lung cancer and an abrupt and recent cessation of the smoking.” In 182 of the 312 cases they treated, habitual smokers of at least a pack a day for at least a quarter-century developed lung cancer shortly after they gave up smoking.

In a rush to cover their tracks and bad statistics, anti-smoking advocates are quickly revising their numbers to be more in line with their political ambitions. In the 1960’s epidemiologists estimated that smoking killed one fourth of all regular smokers. That estimate was later raised to one third. More recently they suggest that both estimates are too low. According to scientist Richard Peto, lifelong cigarette use, particularly if begun before age 20, kills at least half of all smokers.

CDC Regularly Misrepresents the Facts

Americans are not experiencing the “epidemic of tobacco related disease and death” the anti-smokers claim. If that were true, why would annual death rates decrease in the U.S. as cigarette sales rates increase?

Cigarette

Census             Death by    Death    Sales per

Year   Population  All Cause  Rate%    Billion

1900   75,994,600  1,307,107  1.72    2.5

1910   91,972,260  1,351,992  1.47    8.6

1920  105,710,600  1,374,358  1.30   44.6

1930  122,775,100  1,387,358  1.13  119.3

1940  131,669,300  1,422,028  1.08  181.9

1950  150,697,400  1,446,695  0.96  369.8

1960  179,323,200  1,703,570  0.95  484.4

1970  203,302,000  1,921,031  0.94  536.5

1980  226,545,800  1,989,841  0.88  631.5

1990  248,709,900  2,162,000  0.87  525.0

Smokers represented nearly 50% of the adult male/female population for several decades in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Smoking among adults decreased dramatically from 42% in 1965 to 26% in 1994. During this period, smoking among the adult male population declined from 52% to 28%; adult female smoking declined from 34% to 23%. In 1994, 48 million adults 18 years of age and older (25.3 million men, 22.7 million women) were current smokers in the United States.

If nearly 50% of the population smoked, you would expect at least nearly 50% of the people who die would be smokers, if smoke has nothing to do with dying. It stands to reason we should start suspecting that smoke kills smokers only when over 50% of those who die in a given year are smokers. By their own statistics, only about 20% of the deaths are smokers.

At the end of World War II, about 90 per cent of the adult male population of Britain smoked. If lung cancer takes about 20-25 years to show, as some claim, then by 1965, or 1970 at the latest, we would have seen an epidemic of truly catastrophic proportions. One in every eleven British men would have been dying of lung cancer. This simply did not happen.

There hardly appears to be the profound danger anti-smoking advocates would have us believe. As a matter of fact, it would appear you have a greater chance of dying if you’re a non-smoker!

In another look at the numbers, 38% of the people who smoke live beyond 80 years old, 50% live beyond 75 and 85% live beyond 65. This compares to 43% of non-smokers living beyond 80 years old, 50% of non-smokers live beyond 75, and 85% of non-smokers live beyond 65. The government and anti-smoking lobby can’t explain this disparity, so they lie.

Fewer Cigarettes Equals MORE Cancer?

U.S. historical statistics show that, in the period 1973-1994, annual per capita consumption of cigarettes FELL from 4,148 to 2,493. But in the same period, the incidence of lung and bronchial cancer ROSE from 42.5 to 57.1 cases per 100,000 population. How can this be if the propaganda of the Anti-Tobacco Pharmaceutical Cartel is correct?

The deluge of anti-smoking hysteria is actually a very recent thing. And it’s quite sudden too. Look at a film from only 10 or 15 years ago and you’ll see everyone smoking away merrily and without a worry. They’re smoking in the elevator, in the office and, of course, in every decent bar!

How can it be that we’ve been so suddenly immersed in this tidal wave of warnings and fear and – let’s be clear – propaganda? Doesn’t it seem a bit too orchestrated?

At the risk of repeating myself again…
It’s because of money, control, and jurisdiction.

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Exercise in our Fast Paced Lives

Exercise in our Fast Paced Lives
March 21, 2021

As soon as we hear or read the word exercise, the first thing that comes to our mind is crunches, weight lifting, push-ups, pull-ups and other such workouts that make us drip. But, this not what exercise is all about. Such workout or weight training does help us in building our physique, but not everyone has enough time or mental strength to persevere for weight training, especially in this fast paced life.

Working out in a gym helps you to reduce the stress hormones and stiffen your muscles to look good and improve your sex appeal. However, in this fast paced life most of us are not able to find enough time to fit gym in our busy schedules. An early morning walk in the park followed by light stretching or a sweltering jog is the need of the hour for all such individuals. This will help you cope up with stressful situations in life and look at the world with a new perspective. Physical well being is the first step to happiness and our complete well being.

Exercise is defined as any activity that is responsible for the well being of our body, mind or soul. Exercise could be anything from a walk in the park to a whole-hearted laugh, as they relieve us of the stresses accumulated in our mind and body.

Physical exercise plays a vital role in our well being, however that is not enough, for most of the exercises are meant for strengthening our muscles and physical well being, but what about our mind and soul? Yoga is a form of exercise that results in the well being of our mind and soul along with the physical well being.

Yoga can be performed by individuals of all age groups and can even heal most of our ailments which is not possible with any other form of exercise. It improves the flexibility of our muscles, relieves stress and takes us closer to our inner self or conscience. It makes our spirit pure and genteel. Yoga involves various deep breathing techniques, light physical exercises and meditation. It is an ancient Indian technique that was mostly adopted by ascetics or yogis which made them live longer and healthier lives. People have realised the importance of yoga lately and groups from all over the world are involved in its promotion.

For the individuals who can never find time to exercise, yoga is the way to go. It is performed for 15-30 minutes daily with not even a single drop of sweat and will leave you feeling fresh and healthy unlike weight training exercises that leave you feeling drenched and tired. Even the aged can easily perform yoga and will benefit a lot from it. Although, it involves professional training for at least a month to be able to perform it on your own in the appropriate manner.

Another form of exercise is ‘laughter’. More and more people are accepting this fact and are opting to laugh instead of dripping at a gym. “Laughter is the best medicine”, is a doctor’s favourite quote, but hardly any follow. Laughing hard can have the same effects as that of jogging and other stretching exercises. A laugh reduces the stress level instantaneously, though it’s not easy for each of us to develop the habit of laughing when we are stressed, but it can be adapted with perseverance and would definitely prove to be helpful.

It a nutshell, exercise is a must for every individual and must not be limited to its physical form, but extended to its mental and spiritual forms as well.

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Tiny Houses, Micro-Apartments: Yes Or No?

2013-WRThere seems to be a new movement growing n the USA; people, especially in big cities, are downsizing and starting to live in very small apartments and houses. Primarily, it is an economical decision because rent rates tend to be very high in large cities such as New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Los Angeles and smaller dwellings look like a good option for budget-conscious renters. Moreover, it seems to work the best for single people who spend most of their time at work and socialize outside. Many of the buildings with micro-apartments offer communal amenities such as gyms, media rooms, and outside recreational areas which provide the tenants with an opportunity to meet their neighbors and socialize.

Is it a movement which will catch up? Worldwide, people live in places which are much smaller than what an average American is used to, especially in such countries as Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, India, Japan, and China. But, the question stands whether the American public ready for such a downsizing? As such, there were many reports which claim that living in small quarters might lead to depression, substance abuse, and domestic abuse; moreover, children who grow up in smaller places might develop learning disabilities. According to Susan Saegert, a director of Housing Environments Research Group, children who live in small apartments “can end up becoming withdrawn and have trouble studying and concentrating.” However, such claims need to be studied more because the experience proves them otherwise. After all, school children of Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and other countries routinely outperform their American counterparts in all the school tests; and the lack of space does not seem to adversely affect them.

Moreover, life in smaller places can also mean being more environmentally friendly because one simply spends less energy and leaves smaller carbon print when living in a micro-apartment. If the culture of competing with Joneses was considered outdated, many of Americans might have well agreed to live smaller because it would save them money and effort. – Becky Kospanova

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New Year Resolutions

New-Years-Resolutions 14

The advent of New Year stirs the desire to improve their lives for many people. As such, many imagine themselves thinner, healthier, and generally happier than they were in a previous year. Psychologists agree that it is productive to set goals: attainable, self-improving, and realistic. After all, it is in a human nature to want to improve things and what is the better time than the start of a New Year? However, when did the tradition to set New Year resolutions start? And, more interestingly, what are the most popular goals people generally set for themselves?

The tradition of making New Year resolutions traces centuries back. Historical research shows that ancient Babylonians, Romans, and Greeks made New Year resolutions to help the poor, pay their debts, and be better citizens. The goals of modern people seem to be more egocentric. Generally, people resolve to do the following:

1. Improve themselves physically (lose extra weight, eat more healthily, start going to the gym, abstain from alcohol and cigarettes, etc.)
2. Improve themselves mentally (think positive things, be nicer to immediate family, laugh more, enjoy life and surrounding beauty to a full extent).
3. Improve finances and career (pay the debts, apply for a dream job, perform better at a current job, obtain the long-sought promotion, or establish own business).
4. Get better education (develop a new hobby, learn a foreign language, start reading more, get a college degree, take some classes at a local college).
5. Volunteer (donate their time and effort to a worthwhile cause, help those in need, and get involved into community).
6. Improve themselves socially (meet new people, make a new friend, become active socially, travel).
7. Improve themselves spiritually (attend church more often, pray more, reflect on life).

Interestingly, recent research shows that in previous decades people were more concerned with doing good deeds for others, but nowadays people are more self-involved and mostly concentrate on themselves. Even then, most people fail to follow on their New Year resolutions; according to a study conducted by Richard Wiseman from the University of Bristol, as many as eighty-eight percent of people do not fulfill their resolutions, although initially fifty-two percent of people have absolute confidence in their eventual success.

However, there are ways to achieve success with New Year resolutions. For example, it helps to set them in steps—instead of generally resolving to lose extra weight; it is more productive to say “no” to a pound or two per week. More importantly, it is always easier to do things for others; it fulfills your sense of civic duty, it makes you feel better, and it makes a world a better place. Why not make this year a year to help others?
– Becky Kospanova

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Congratulation Bandleader Ludlow “Bingie” Lloyd Mckenzie

 

Congratulation Bandleader Basses, Ludlow “Bingie” Lloyd Mckenzie

Press Release July 10, 2017
by Valaie Flact

“Reggae Wellness Expo & Music Festival Mission Focus Is Honoring And Recognizing Unsung Jamaican Music Pioneers & Providing Exposing For Jamaica’s Next Generation Of Music Stars Each Year At The Annual Event. “RW” Mission Is To Always Be A Beacon And Champion Of Encouragement For Reggae Music Workers.”

The 2017 Honor Goes To Legendary High Symbol’s Band Leader Basses, Ludlow “Bingie” Lloyd Mckenzie.


Jamaica is commonly known as the Reggae Capital of the world and home to many great well known reggae bands and even more great reggae singers. Behind every great reggae vocalist’s live show, there was always a great bandleader that help bring their music to life.

“Bingie” has been bandleader for hundreds of these act over the last 20 years, unlike the stars he played behind, many outside the reggae arena have no knowledge of his achievements over that time.

In 1987 Mckenzie form the band “FM Force Band” with Sanchez as lead singer, Sanchez left the band in 1988 to pursue a solo career. Afterward He decided to changed the name of the band to (High Symbol Band).High Symbol Band with original members consisting of members: Ludlow “Bingie” Lloyd’ Mckenzie-(bandleader/bass), Bernard’ Powell-(drums), Elana Lewis-(guitar), Noel Davy-(keyboards),Garth Gray-(keyboards).

Current band member are Ludlow “Bingie” Lloyd Mckenzie (bandleader/bass player), Bernard Powell(Drummer), Philip Porter(Guitarist), Everton “Bubbler” Bryan(keyboardist1), Theodore Bernard(Keyboardist2) Duhaney ‘Singing Green’ Green(Led Singer) and Kenton Boyd(Engineer)

“Bingie” has toured extensively in the Caribbean, Mexico, where he is revered as an icon in Cancun, US, Central America, Europe and beyond.

Sure he was the bandleader for acts that performed before Nelson and Winnie Mandela in Kingston National Stadium, or at the Bob Marley Song Celebration in Australia and if you ever saw any of the acts listed below performing live, its a good chance “Bingie” was the bandleader. Continue reading Congratulation Bandleader Ludlow “Bingie” Lloyd Mckenzie

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Choosing “Acupuncture” Over “KemeTones” Is Like Choosing Pain Over No Pain

TAEM Logo Final

Press Release

June 2, 2017

story by Erica Modell

KemeTones © is the Kemetic (Indigenous Ancient, African, Egyptian’s) approach to using Sound Vibrations as Healing Therapy

Definition of Therapist: One specializing in therapy; a person trained in methods of alternative Health care treatment and rehabilitation, without the use of chemicals or surgery

Tchiya Amet El Maat, Natural Health Therapist and Wellness Coach, Specializing in Kemetic Healing and Egyptian Yoga is one of those Therapist that provides therapeutic treatments using Acutonics© tuning forks.

KemeTones © is the Kemetic (Indigenous Ancient, African, Egyptian’s) approach to using Sound Vibrations as Healing with Acutonics©. Acutonics is similar to Acupuncture, except tuning forks are use to direct sound energy vibrations to the same area most Acupuncturist used to stimulate “acupoints” without the pain of the insertion of fine, sterile needles into different areas of the skin.

Tchiya Bening Kemmedacupuncturist 2

Acupuncture is a 3,000-year-old healing technique of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In 1997, the US. National Institutes of Health (NIH) documented and publicized acupuncture’s safety and efficacy for treating a wide range of conditions. Continue reading Choosing “Acupuncture” Over “KemeTones” Is Like Choosing Pain Over No Pain

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People Living Alone: Good or Bad?

People_Living_Alone_1One of the telling features of modern world is that a person can live perfectly comfortably by himself or herself. Historically, people lived together as a large family for many reasons: poverty, food, safety, traditions, money, inheritance laws and such. In many parts of the world—Asia, Africa, some parts of Europe and Latin America— these reasons still play a big role in making people live together. However, most people in Western countries have long abandoned the notion of living together in order to gain some benefits; instead, they prefer the convenience of living alone. Is it a good or bad thing?

Living_Alone-elderlyApart from being a philosophical question, living alone seems to be a practical question for many in Western world. However, first we have to define what it means to live alone. According to most researchers, it means literally living alone: there is no spouse, children, parents, or other relatives living with a person in question in his/her house. It is understandable. Given contemporary economic conditions, many people have to move frequently around the country or world to find a job. As such, close proximity to their families and friends often becomes impossible. A person has to establish a single household. According to Eric Klinenberg, the N.Y.U. sociology professor and author of the book Going Solo, in the 1950s about 22 percent of Americans households were single; nowadays the number is about 50 percent. The increase in single households is quite astonishing.

Mid adult woman sitting on floor,

There are some obvious explanations. People are no longer ostracized because of living alone; it is becoming a norm. Moreover, compared to the 1950s, many women became quite capable of living by themselves, thus escaping centuries-old paradigm of being tied up to their husbands or families. As such, number of single households has increased. Moreover—thanks to modern technologies—most of us are now connected through the web, which gives us an illusion of being together with our families and friends, though virtually. Continue reading People Living Alone: Good or Bad?

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Literacy in the USA

children_learning-zbbjrxIt is undeniable that being literate is one of the most important things a person needs to achieve in order to have a normal existence. From everyday things such as reading food labels, medication information, or household bills to more complex tasks such as reading and comprehending books and more difficult texts,  reading enables a person to lead an independent and, hopefully, fulfilling life.

kids_working_togetherThe US Department of Education and National Center for Education Statistics differentiate between three types of literacy, “Prose literacy is the knowledge and skills needed to perform prose tasks (i.e., to search, comprehend, and use information from continuous texts, such as paragraphs from stories); document literacy is the knowledge and skills needed to perform document tasks (i.e., to search, comprehend, and use information from non-continuous texts in various formats, such as bills or prescription labels); and quantitative literacy is the knowledge and skills required to perform quantitative tasks (i.e., to identify and perform computations, either alone or sequentially, using numbers embedded in printed materials).” As such, according to their statistics dating from 2003, 22 percent of adults (those who are 16 or older) in the USA perform below basic in quantitative literacy, 14 percent of adults are below basic in prose literacy, and 12 percent in document literacy. Continue reading Literacy in the USA

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