| Wednesday, June 17, 2009 |
| I AM BACK FROM A LONG VACATION |
I WENT ON A LONG VACATION AND WAS TRYING TO THINK OUT IF I WILL RETIRE COMPLETELY OR IF IN CASE I REALLY DO RETIRE, IF I WILL RETIRE BACK HOME IN THE PHILIPPINES OR NOT. I CHECK ALL OF THE OPTIONS. I CANNOT RETIRE IN THE PHILIPPINES BECAUSE MY MEDICAL INSURANCE WILL NOT PAY MY MEDICATIONS AND THE MEDICINES THAT I NEEDED EVERYDAY FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE, SOME ARE NOT AND CANNOT BE FOUND IN THE PHILIPPINES.
SO, HERE I AM BACK IN THE STATES AND WENT BACK TO WORK AS A CERTIFIED NURSING ASSISTANT FOR THE MENTALLY CHALLENGE ELDERLY.
I WILL START AGAIN DOING MY BLOGS. |
| posted by infraternam meam @ 7:22 PM |
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| THE RETURN OF ME AND MYSELF |
| WE HAVE RETURNED FROM A LONG HIATUS. I WAS TRYING TO DECIDE IF I WILL RETIRE OR NOT. I DID LOTS OF THINKING AND IT IS NOT YET TIME TO RETIRE. I STILL WANT TO BE PART OF THE WORK FORCE AND YES, I AM WORKING AGAIN FOR THE ADULTS WHO MENTALLY CHALLENGE. I WILL BE POSTING ALL MY TRAVAILS IN THIS POST. |
| posted by infraternam meam @ 1:28 PM |
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| Tuesday, January 06, 2009 |
| KIDNAP INC. |
TROUBLE SPOTS
Globalism hasn't made the world safer for Americans doing business abroad. They are sometimes held hostage to political and religious causes but very often are targeted for sheer profit. The most dangerous places in the world.
MEXICO
The biggest kidnapping country today.
ECUADOR
Kidnappers from Colombia heading here.
COLOMBIA
Once the world's kidnapping cradle, still a problem but improving.
BRAZIL
Drug trade and crime contribute to kidnappings.
HAITI
More Americans kidnapped here that anywhere.
NIGERIA
Kidnapping of oil industry workers out of control.
SOUTH AFRICA
Kidnapping gangs part of crime wave.
OFF THE SOMALI COAST
Pirates abducting cargo ship workers.
IRAQ
Kidnapping remains an everyday problem for Iraqis, but less so for foreigners than in 2004-06.
PAKISTAN
Political kidnapping to put pressure on government
INDIA
Tech sector targeted and kidnapping a big problem in poor states like Bihar.
AFGHANISTAN
The Taliban have found a kidnapping revenue for generator that is worrying the U.S.
CHECHEN REPUBLIC
Islamic rebels exert political pressure via kidnappings.
CHINA
Businesspeople in southern Guangdong Province being targeted.
THE PHILIPPINES
Islamic terrorist groups conduct abductions.
(Source: FORBESMAG) |
| posted by infraternam meam @ 9:02 PM |
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| Saturday, December 06, 2008 |
| UNEMPLOYED IN AMERICA |
There are 10.3 million unemployed U.S. workers, the most since the mid-1980s. The rise in unemployment has affected people in all demographic groups and industries.
BY AGE GROUP
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Teens: 1.3 million (rate: 20.4 percent)
20-24: 1.7 million (rate: 10.9 percent)
25-34: 2.3 million (rate: 6.9 percent)
35-44: 1.9 million (rate: 5.4 percent)
45-54: 1.8 million (rate: 5.1 percent)
55+: 1.3 million (rate:4.7 percent)
BY RACE:
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White: 2.7 million (rate: 5.8 percent)
Black: 2 million (rate:11.29 percent)
Hispanic: 1.9 million (rate: 8.5 percent)
Asian: 343,000 (rate:4.8 percent)
BY INDUSTRY:
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Wholesale/retail : 1.4 million (rate: 6.7 percent)
Hospitality: 1.3 million (rate: 9.9 percent)
Construction: 1.2 million (rate: 12.7 percent)
Manufacturing: 1.1 million (rate: 7.0 percent)
Business services: 1 million (rate: 7.0 percent)
Education/health: 748,000 (rate: 3.6 percent)
Government: 527,000 (rate:2.4 percent)
Finance: 494,000 (rate: 5.2 percent)
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics/CHICTRIB) |
| posted by infraternam meam @ 9:09 AM |
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| Sunday, November 16, 2008 |
| WHAT AMERICA EATS: NINE WAYS TO SAVE ON YOUR DINNER PARTY |
MAKING DELICIOUS HOLIDAY MEALS doesn't have to be expensive. The secret is having the skill-and the will-to shop intelligently, eat sensibly, and celebrate within your means. Here are nine tips that pay off.
1. START WITH A STRATEGY "PLAN your dinners around unfussy, inexpensive ingredients," says the Food Network's Paula Deen. "Scour your pantry and use what you've already got. Keep an eye on pre-holiday sales, especially on supermarket brands.Make a grocery list - and stick to it."
2. SHOP EARLY The truly thrifty know that pieces rise after Thanksgiving, "so shop now for Christmas canned goods, frozen foods, and baking supplies," says housekeeping expert Cynthia Townley Ewer. One exception: Unsold fresh turkeys usually are discounted for quick sale the day after Thanksgiving.
3. ASK FOR HELP "If you've been designated by divine ordinance to host 48 people every holiday, now's a good time to rethink that role", says Nick Malgieri, director of the baking program at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York. "Male this holiday sharing kitchen duties - and costs - with friends, family members, and neighbors. You'd be surprised how willing people are to pitch in."
4. TRY A BUFFET If you normally serve a sit down holiday meal, consider a money-saving buffet. "Use the old hotel trick of placing your rolls and big carb items like yams and potatoes at the beginning and the meats at the end," says Michael Ainslie, development chef for Fresh & Easy Supermarkets. "People's plates will be full by the time they get to the big-ticket items. Buffets also cut down on second and third helpings."
5. RETHINK BREAD Bakery breads can be costly, so try new options. "Buy day-old or use stale bread for stuffing." Deen says. Adds Malgieri: " Focaccia is a bread that takes minutes to whip up. There's no kneading or food processing, and all you need is flour, salt, warm water, yeast and oil."
6. GET CREATIVE WITH DECORATIONS For decor, skip the pre-made pieces on display at the store and make your own. "Bundle twigs from the garden with bright ribbons," Ewer suggests, "and plunk them into a carved-out pumpkin for a designer centerpiece at a yard-sale price."
7. PICK THE RIGHT FRUITS AND VEGGIES With people, the key to saving is knowing what's abundant and in season. This time of year, look for fresh apples, yams, squash, potatoes (especially low-cost russets), onions, carrots and promegranates. More expensive: grapes, corn, tomatoes, zucchini, and strawberries. Anything pre-cut or bagged only adds cost. For tasty alternatives, frozen corn, peas and blueberries work best in compotes, stuffings and stews rather than in a bowl on their own. Adds nutrition expert David Katz, director of the Yale Prevention Research Center, "Frozen veggies are generally just as nutritious as fresh. Canned foods tend to have added salt, so choose low-sodium and rinse before preparing."
8. BUY FROZEN MEATS With meats, the frugal go frozen. But read labels. Liquid broths and flavor enhancers add costly weight and affect taste and texture. "Look for minimally processed or natural poultry, so you're not paying for water", says Ewer. Interestingly, fresh hams and turkeys, while more expensive, aren't necessarily healthier, since those products are sometimes "saline-infused to plump them out", says Katz.
9. MAKE YOUR OWN DESSERT "A showstopping dessert doesn't have to be expensive", Malgieri insists, but it helps to bake it yourself. "storebrought pie can run $20 for something that costs $5 to do at home". Same goes for frozen pie crusts, which fetch $4, compared with $1 or less for homemade. "Combine butter and Crisco to save money and add to the flakiness," says Flo Baker, author of THE SIMPLE ART OF PERFECT BAKING.
With meats, the frugal go frozen
If baking scares you, look for simple recipes for brownies, chocolate cakes, and old-fashioned applesauce cakes (you can find some favorites at Parade.com/food) If chocolate is a must, shop warehouse club stores for 18 ounce, no-name Belgian bars - far tastier than squares of blands baker's chocolate, Malgieri says.
To make it even simpler, Deen suggests that you "fancy up a $1.79 cake mix by adding cream cheese or canned fruit to the filling." And all the while, remember the true meaning of the holidays. "No matter how much we cut back and scrimp, we're still with our family and friends," she says. "With lover and a little ingenuity in the kitchen, everyone's likely to end up with a full belly, so try to enjoy."
(Source: PARADE MAG by: David Hochman) |
| posted by infraternam meam @ 8:31 PM |
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| Sunday, November 09, 2008 |
| WHO'S WATCHING WHICH SHOWS? |
Nielsen ratings reveal cities' likes, dislikes.
TOP SHOWS
(Most popular TV shows during week of Oct. 27 - Nov.2)
NATIONWIDE:
1. MLB World Series Games 5 Fox, Wednesday --- 19,844,000 Viewers
2. CSI, CBS Thursday --- 19,098,000
3. Dancing With the Stars ABC Monday --- 18,876,000 Viewers
4. Dancing .... Results ABC, Tuesday --- 17,444,000 Viewers
5. NCIS CBS, Tuesday --- 17,258,000 Viewers
6. NFL Sunday Night Football NBC, Sunday --- 16,741,000 Viewers
7. The Mentalist CBS, Tuesday --- 16,073,000 Viewers
8. Desperate Housewives ABC Thursday --- 15,933,000 Viewers
9. Grey's Anatomy ABC, Thursday --- 15,319,000 Viewers
10.60 Minutes CBS, Thursday --- 14,322,000 Viewers
25 MOST POPULAR TV SHOWS NATIONWIDE SO FAR THIS SEASON
1. CSI CBS, Thursday --- 21,330,000 Viewers
2. Dancing With the Stars ABC, Monday --- 19,567,000 Viewers
3. NCIS CBS, Tuesday --- 18,221,000 Viewers
4. Grey's Anatomy ABC Thursday --- 17,709,000 Viewers
5. Desperate Housewives ABC, Thursday --- 17,709,000 Viewers
6. Sunday Night Football NBC, Sunday --- 16,295,000 Viewers
7. Dancing ... Results ABC Tuesday --- 16,247,000 Viewers
8. The Mentalist CBS, Tuesday --- 16,247,000 Viewers
9. Criminal Minds CBS Wednesday --- 16,174,000 Viewers
10. CSI:NY CBS, Wednesday --- 15,329,000 Viewers
11. CSI:MIAMI CBS, Monday --- 14,788,000 Viewers
12. Two and a Half Men CBS, Monday --- 14,651,000 Viewers
13. Survivor:Gabon CBS, Thursday --- 13,720,000 Viewers
14. 60 Minutes CBS, Sunday --- 13,679,000 Viewers
15. House FOX, Tuesday --- 13,567,000 Viewers
16. Without a Trace CBS, Tuesday --- 12,400,000 Viewers
17. Eleventh Hour CBS, Thursday --- 11,993,000 Viewers
18. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition ABC, Sunday --- 11,993,000 Viewers
19. Cold Case CBS, Sunday --- 11,781,000 Viewers
20. The OT Fox, Sunday --- 11,677,000 Viewers
21. Sunday Night Football Pre-Kick NBC, Sunday --- 11,421,000 Viewers
22. Bones FOX, Wednesday --- 10,990,000 Viewers
23. Brothers and Sisters ABC, Sunday --- 10,911,000 Viewers
24. Samantha Who? ABC, Sunday --- 10,732,000 Viewers
25. Law and Order:SVU NBC, Tuesday --- 10,375,000 Viewers
(Source: Excerpts from Sunday Trib: Arts & Ebtertainment Section by: Maureen Ryan, TV Critic) |
| posted by infraternam meam @ 11:25 AM |
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| Monday, September 22, 2008 |
| SEVEN WAYS TO COPE WITH CHEMO |
THE DRUGS USED TO TREAT CANCER can have different results in different people. They can be a miracle -- they cured my Hodgkin's disease -- or not. Side effects vary greatly too. Many of us approach chemo with fear, but a few steps can help you cope.
1. LEARN ABOUT SIDE EFFECTS
Some people want to know every possible side effects of chemotheraphy. Others want only a general overview so as not to become overly fearful. Both approaches are reasonable. Tell your doctor which you prefer. If you do encounter side effects, your oncology nurse, who is familiar with the drugs you're taking, will have specific ideas and recommendations about how to ease your discomfort.
2. MANAGE UNPREDICTABILITY
Reactions to chemotheraphy are unpredictable. One day you may be fine and the next day totally exhausted. The treatment you said through last month feels like too much today. Remember that you are receiving a powerful medical intervention and that it's reasonable if you can't do everything you once could. Remind others that you are not always at your best right now.
3. ADAPT HEALTH BEHAVIORS.
Some people resolve to stick to a new diet or exercise regime when they begin treatment. But chemotheraphy can affect both eating and physical activity. You may have no appetite, feel nauseous, or lack the energy to get to the kitchen. It helps to set modest goals. Take in enough fluids and eat a balanced diet of food. Use small spurts of energy for short walks and get plenty of sleep.
4. COPE WITH SADNESS
Many patients are still absorbing the shock of the diagnosis when chemotheraphy begins. Despair and hopelessness sit heavily on some days. It can be helpful to put these feelings into words by writing them down or talking to other. If you think your sadness will frighten or burden loved ones, confide in a trusted friend or a member of the clergy. But if you may want to talk with a mental-health professional who has experience with people undergoing chemotheraphy.
5. GET SUPPORT.
Family and friends can be a tremendous source of support. But sometimes you may feel so alone that your situation defies their understanding. Fortunately, there are many ways to connect with others who have gone through similar experiences. Local centers may provide a range of in-person opportunities to talk with others. Telephone-based or online support groups allow people to share information and encouragement.
6. HAVE PATIENCE.
While chemotheraphy targets your cancer, it also affects your thinking, you emotions, and your energy level. Most of the immediate effects of the drugs pass within hours or days, but the fatigue and mental fogginess often linger, making it difficult to resume normal life. This can be frustrating and discouraging. Most people find that these symptoms face over time.
7. FIND RELIEF.
While it may be difficult to feel comfortable in your body during this time, think back. What has helped you find relief in the past? Writing your thought down? Prayer? Reading mystery novels? Watching sitcoms? Listening to music? Chemotheraphy is new to you, but you bring experience in getting through tough times. You know best what has worked for you. Draw in your expertise about yourself to find some moments of peace.
Chemotheraphy often shrinks our world to this body, this treatment, this pain. But each of us is more than our disease. While our lives have been profoundly changed, all the experiences that brought us here remain. Our aim now is to take steps -- big and small -- that will get us through the days with all the grace we can muster, all the support we need, and all the dignity we deserve.
(Source: PARADEMAG by Jessie Gruman a three time cancer survivor and the author of "AfterShock: What To Do When the Doctor Gives You -- or Someone You Love -- A Devastating Diagnosis" (Walker & Company, 2007) |
| posted by infraternam meam @ 3:22 PM |
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| Saturday, September 20, 2008 |
| THE SECRETS OF AMERICA'S GREAR PRESIDENTS |
WHAT MAKES A GREAT PRESIDENT?
As a historian, I look to the past to help predict the future. And I am convinced that Americans should consider the leadership strengths of our most successful Presidents when deciding how to cast their ballots in November. Focusing on the qualities that have made some of our leaders exceptional provides a better perspective on our current candidates than what's often reported -- mistaken words, glib replies, fundraising abilities, and TV ads. Taking Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt as guides, I've identified 10 attributes that distinguish truly great Presidents.
1. THE COURAGE TO STAY STRONG
A President needs the ability to withstand adversity and motivate himself in the face of frustration. From childhood, Lincoln showed a determination to rise above the poverty into which he was born. Despite failures that would have felled most others, he never lost faith that if he refused to despair, he would eventually succeed. Roosevelt, by contrast, grew up with wealth, privilege, and love. His crucible came in a polio attack that left him a paraplegic at 39. While crippling his body, the paralysis expanded his sensibilities. He emerged from his ordeal with greater powers of concentration and greater self-knowledge. Far more intensely than before, he was about to put himself in the shoes of others to whom fate had dealt an unfair hand.
2. SELF-CONFIDENCE
Good leadership requires you to surround yourself with people of diverse perspectives who can disagree with you without fear of retaliation. Lincoln placed his three chief rivals for the Republican nomination in crucial positions in his Cabinet and filled the rest of his top jobs with former Democrats. His cabinet sessions were fiery affairs, but they provided him with a wide range of advice and opinion. Similarly, FDR created a coalition of the New Deal into key positions as Secretary of War and the Secretary of the Navy. And for his Army chief of staff, he appoint George Marshall, because the straight-talking general was the only one to disagree with him in a meeting.
3. AN ABILITY TO LEARN FROM ERRORS
To lead successfully, you must be willing to acknowledge and learn from your mistakes. After the rout of Union forces at Bull Run, Lincoln stayed up all night writing a memo on military policy that incorporated the painful lessons he had learned. And when FDR concluded that a New Deal program was not working, he created a new one in its place, built upon an understanding of what had gone wrong.
4. A WILLINGNESS TO CHANGE
Conditions change, and Presidents must respond. When was came, FDR made his peace with the industrialists whose hatred he had welcomed during the New Deal. He relaxed anti-trust regulations, guaranteed profit, and brought in top business executive to run his production agencies, aware that only with their commitment could we build the planes, tanks and ships we needed to win.
5. EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
A President must encourage his closest advisers to give their best and remain loyal. Lincoln shared credit for his successes and shouldered public blame for the failures of his subordinates. FDR had a remarkable capacity to transmit strength to others, to make them feel more determined to do their jobs well.
6. SELF-CONTROL
Great leaders manage their emotions and remain calm in the midst of trouble. When angry with a colleague, Lincoln liked to write him a "hot letter", giving his emotions free rein. Then he would put the letter aside, knowing he would calm down and never send it. If he lost his temper, he would invariably follow up with a kind gesture. "If I was cross, I ask your pardon", he wrote to one of his generals. "If I do get up a temper I do not have sufficient time to keep it up". And on the Sunday that the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Eleanor Roosevelt was struck by her husband's "deadly calm". While aides and cabinet officers ran in an out of excitement, panic and irritation, FDR remained at his desk, absorbing the news, deciding what to do next.
7. A POPULAR TOUCH
The best Presidents have an intuitive awareness of public sentiment, a sense of when to wait and when to lead. Lincoln once said that if he had issued the Emancipation Proclamation six months earlier, "public sentiment would not have sustained it." By following the gradual shift in the newspapers, by opening his office to conversations with ordinary people, by visiting troops in the field, he rightly concluded that by early 1863, the opposition was no longer "strong enough to defeat the purpose". FDR was said to possess an uncanny awareness of the hopes and fears of his countrymen and to know precisely when to move forward, when to hold back, and when to deliver one of his fireside chats.
8. A MORAL COMPASS
Only strong leaders have the courage and integrity to follow their convictions when the risk of losing popular support is great. In mid-1864, top Republicans warned Lincoln that unless he renounced emancipation as a condition, the Confederates never would agree to peace talks, without which he had no chance of re-election. Yet Lincoln turned his party's leaders away without a second thought. "I should be damned in time and in eternity", he wrote, if he chose to conciliate the South over the slaves to whom he had pledged freedom. FDR chose in 1940 to supply England with what little America had in the way of weapons. In so doing, he drew the wrath of isolationist, liberals and educators. His own generals warned that he so risked American security that he might be impeached or "found hanging from a lamppost" if England fell and Hitler used our captured weapons against us. Believing England's survival crucial to the preservation of Western civilization, FDR was willing to take that risk.
9. A CAPACITY TO RELAX
FRD held a White house cocktail hour every evening. Its cardinal rule; Nothing was to be said of politics or war. Guests were to gossip, tell funny stories, and reminisce so that everyone could enjoy a few precious hours away from the pressures of the day. Lincoln possessed a life-affirming sense of humor and a legendary ability to tell long, winding tales that allowed him "to whistle off sadness". He laughed, he explained, so he did not weep.
10. A GIFT FOR INSPIRING OTHERS
One of the key qualities of a great President is his ability to communicate national goals to the people and to educate and shape public opinion. Both Lincoln and FDR conveyed their convictions with stories and metaphors, as well as a profound sense of history and a love of poetry and drama. When Lincoln delivered his second inaugural address, the North was on the verge of winning the Civil War. Yet he avoided a triumphal message. Knowing that his next challenge was to return to defeated South to the Union, he suggested that the sin of slavery was shared by both sides and called on his countrymen "with malice toward none; with charity for all.... to bind up the nation's wounds." FDR's first inaugural address, delivered at the height of the Depression, conveyed a clear understanding of the difficulties the nation faced and projected such serene confidence in the fundamental strength of his country that he renewed the hope of millions.
I hope that as this campaign reaches its end, we can all move beyond the superficial "issues" that now play too large a role in Presidential politics. Let us look closely at the leadership styles of John McCain and Barack Obama and analyze their strengths and weaknesses in relation to our greatest leaders. It will take imagination to shift our present mode of thinking. Old habits die hard. But let us began.
(source: PARADEMAG by: Doris Kearns Goodwin. She is the author of "Team of Rivals":The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln". She won a pulitzer Prize in 1995 for her book on Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.) |
| posted by infraternam meam @ 10:18 PM |
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| About Me |
|
Name: infraternam meam
Home: Chicago, United States
About Me: I am now at the prime of my life
and have been married for the past 25 years.
Sickly at times, but wants to see the elixir vita,
so that I will be able to see my grandchildren from my two boys.
See my complete profile
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