Roe v. Wade

In 1973, the Supreme Court allowed abortions to be legal in the United States. There were limits--parental consent, medical clearances and after 12 weeks of gestation (first three months of pregnancy) no abortions were to be legally performed.

Over the years statistics have been compiled for the U.S. but in many countries abortion has always been legal, used as birth control and as population maintenance. Here are a international statistics for comparison:


Abortions (annual*)**
Brazil: 0 (abortions can only be performed if the mother of the baby is in danger)
Italy: 117,156
Russia: 1,385,600
UK: 189,100
Switzerland: 10,200
Greece: 16,264
Kosovo/Serbia/Montenegro: 162,643
China: 6,111,375
Spain: 115,812
United States: 784,507

* based on figures from 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 or 2010)
** Source: www.johnstonsarchive.net/


After 40 years of legal abortion it has been estimated that 55 million babies have been aborted. Planned Parenthood is the primary provider of abortions. Although clinics are closing, many still operate outside the law. But some clinics have killed mothers and born alive fetuses. One of the counts faced by Dr. Kermit Gosnell includes the death of a woman following an abortion at his office. The other seven were late-term babies, born alive, who were then killed by Dr. Gosnell with a pair of scissors he used to severe their spines.

The balance. Twice a year the world is in balance. Most recently the autumnal equinox gives us equal amounts of dark and daylight. It's no coincidence that the astrological symbol for Libra is the scales or balance and it covers dates September 22 to October 23--which includes the northern autumnal equinox.

So for one day there was balance in your life. Did you feel it?

You can try again next year September 22, 2013

What's a hero? Hard not to think about events that transpired eleven years ago. One man who survived the attacks on the World Trade Center (from the 86th floor) said: Maybe a hero is someone who is so afraid, he reaches a point when he says, 'dammit I'm not going to let this happen to me...not to me or to anybody else.' thank you heros

Dieting...what is it?

The concept of dieting refers to the ability to lose weight while eating certain foods or eliminating others. The Atkins Diet, The Carb Addict Diet, The High Protein Diet, The Grapefruit Diet and on and on. What we want is for those rolls, jiggles and love handles to disappear without a lot of starvation and sweat. Until recently pills and surgery, were considered a last resort, but the FDA made the restrictions a little looser. Most patients (about 50-60%) experience drastic weight lost, experts caution that it is not the answer to weight loss. here's why: 1. Surgery, pills and diets are temporary. 2. Few diets are not meant to be utilized as a way of life (few can afford them). 3. Weight loss methods do not solve underlying problems of overeating, emotion and mental problems, biological problems (i.e. thyroid, pituitary and hormonal conditions) that are causing the weight gain. 4. Weight loss is not the same as fat loss. The body will break down muscle if it feels that it is "starving." THE best way to lose weight is to control portion sizes. Why? Most of use only need 2000 calories to live everyday. Most of us actually eat 3000 calories per day. The extra calories are converted into fat and stored. It really doesn't matter what you eat. Even fruits and vegetables can increase your weight--because we don't eat just carrot sticks we eat carrots sticks with Ranch dressing. THE best way to maintain weight loss is to exercise. Activity will balance the calories in, calories out equation. Any type of exercise "burns" calories or uses the energy from food. And the best exercise is to do many different types, not just one--like walking paired with swimming. At the beginning of any exercise program you are always cautioned to see your doctor to rule out any conditions that may affect your activity level. These aren't just words cooked up by lawyers to cover their clients liability. A thorough physical exam can detect simple things like high blood pressure, diabetes, or thyroid disorders.

so sorry that she's gone...

loved all your stuff...good bye dear!

Solar "storm" sends aurora borealis south

When it's okay to directly look at the sun.

The next two days may light up the night sky--if you live in Manhattan, NY.
It's probably the one event storm chasers don't want to chase. But NASA scientists want to study: the solar storm of 2012. On March 6 the sun produced not one, but two solar flares. They are expected to hit the earth today (and maybe tomorrow). It takes about 48 hours to reach earth because we're 93 million miles away from the sun. The particles that hit the earth are called coronal mass ejections (CME). They can create all sorts of havoc--disrupting communication satellites and power grids.

But the interaction of CMEs with Earth’s magnetic field also produces the incredible displays known as the northern lights or aurora borealis. The lights will glow shades of green and red and appear to dance in the sky.

Sometimes storms wreck havoc. Sometimes they produce beautiful images.

SOURCE: Wired Science

It's all in your back yard...

It's March 1 and many gardeners hungry for Spring are looking to revamp the view from their window. Funny thing, most of the top 20 best perennials for gardens (according to BH&G: http://www.bhg.com/gardening/flowers/perennials/top-perennials-for-your-garden/) are probably already in your garden.

Why?

Because these plants do well for everyone--they're hardy, dependable and resistant to most extreme weather conditions and pests.

Sure, there are avid, devoted, gifted gardeners able to grow all sorts of rare plants. These gardeners are willing to expend time and energy to baby and nurture these plants--and not without a few failures.

But the majority of us want plants to be like friends--low maintenance, hearty and dependable. Were blessed to have these beautiful flowers in our lives already.