Pregnancy Week 14

February 5, 2012 – 1:10 pm

I am into my fourteenth week of existence. Mom is into her second trimester. My teeth are formed in the gums. I cannot bite, that is for a later date. I have these long string- things that, when I am born, will be called intestines. But, for now, they are moving themselves from the cord that holds me to my mother into me by a miraculous plan.

In these cords are strange things that look like hairs. They are called villi, and will help with movement of meconium, or faeces, when I am born. My pancreas is also secreting insulin, although I do not need it yet.

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Tags: Week, Week 14

‘Every day is an improvisation’ when caring for aging relatives

January 23, 2012 – 5:51 pm

How many of us have seen problems with older relatives that weve looked away from, not wanting to acknowledge their seriousness or fully face the consequences?

Theres a word for this: denial. And theres a good example of how it can affect family decision making in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. [

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Tags: Aging Relatives, Relatives

Organic Idealism Fuels Feud

January 23, 2012 – 2:39 pm

Its easy to pick on the New York Times. Theyre the big guys. Without fail, however, every time the big guys pick on one of the little guys, in this case organic food, someones gonna get a proverbial wedgie. The New York Times recently published an article entitled, Organic Agriculture Might Be Outgrowing Its Ideals, calling into question the sustainability of the sustainable food movement. Interesting. Specifically called out was the growing of organic tomatoes in the Baja Peninsula, and of course, the blogosphere went wild.

The we want organic and we want it now mentality has led to an upswing of Mexican workers making use of their deserts to provide us with the crops we demand. Vot

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Tags: Organic, Organic Idealism

Beauty is not being poisoned

January 21, 2012 – 5:51 am

 

Could sodium laureth sulfate be to cosmetics what BPA was to plastic water bottles?

The public interest group Environmental Defence is hoping so, launching the latest phase of its Just Beautiful campaign with a new ad warning consumers about chemicals in makeup and beauty products.

The 60-second commercial from the Toronto-based agency Open, entitled “How To Look Pretty Without Poisoning Yourself,” depicts a game show contestant who has to find one among an array of a cosmetic products that does not contain toxins or cancer-causing chemicals.

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