Tags: Crystal Cathedral, Garden Grove, Robert H. Schuller, Robert Schuller
Crystal Cathedral Files For Bankruptcy Posted on May 7th, 2012
This latest piece of news is a story about a wonderful man who created an edifice that came tumbling down, as part of the economic fallout in the United States. The Crystal Cathedral, a mega-church in Garden Grove California, founded by television evangelist Robert H. Schuller in 1995, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October last year, to restructure its staggering debt. Let this be a lesson for us all. I believe that based on circumstances, what we have created in the name of God or Spirit can be destroyed or dissolved at any time. The Crystal Cathedral, in its heyday held multiple services attended by thousands, with pageants and performances of epic proportions. Who didn’t want to attend a service at the Crystal Cathedral, just to hear Pastor Schuller one of the great orators of our time, deliver the sermon? This is what can happen when one person is “holding the focus” for a huge organization. When that person dies or retires, sometimes, the momentum behind the edifice is simply not there. And this is what happened to the Crystal Cathedral, which was recently sold to the Catholic Church for 57 million dollars. Family members, who were groomed to take over, did not have the magic of the original founder who held the vision for the church. Attendance dropped. Ticket sales were down. Sad but true. Make what you can of your life, spread the word, transform others, but don’t create an edifice that cannot continue without you.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2011/11/bankrupt-crystal-cathedral-sold-to-catholics-for-57m/
Tags: Dr. Phil, grandchildren, kissing
Dr. Phil – Kissing Issue Posted on April 11th, 2012
I am a big fan of Dr. Phil. He’s probably the most well-known mental health professional in the world, and a leader in daytime talk. He is a tell-it-like-it-is kind of guy who encourages his guests and audiences to “get real.” But I take exception to Dr. Phil kissing his grandchildren on the mouth.
Last Friday you’ll have to watch the replay of the cutest show with Dr. Phil and his adorable grandchildren. All is well until “pops” gives his two year-old granddaughter Avery, a kiss – right on the mouth. By now you’re probably calling me old-fashioned, a prude, germ-phobic, too rigid etc. But kissing little ones on the mouth is not a good idea, because it spreads germs. I was raised in a medical family. My father and grandfather were both doctors and my mom was a dietician! We were taught to be aware of the spread of germs from one person to another. It is one thing for a husband and wife to kiss each other on the mouth – and good thing too! But kissing a child on the mouth has some obvious ramifications. I am sure Dr. Phil as healthy as he is, is unlikely to be on medication. But what if he, like millions of people, was on heart medication, hormones, such as testosterone, or thyroid medication? Any of these medications could affect the child. I know of one family who discovered their child developed thyroid issues because Grandpa, who was on a high-dose thyroid medication, was kissing junior on the mouth! So Dr. Phil, please keep kissing your grandbabies – yes, but on their little rosy cheeks! Don’t miss the segment – it’s adorable!
http://drphil.com/shows/show/1822/
Finally…… Sugar Feeds Cancer! Posted on April 2nd, 2012
After being a voice in the dark for several decades about cancer cells being glucose supported, we finally hear it from the big boys. CNN’s health expert, Dr. Sanjy Gupta nails it with his recent CBS 60 Minutes interview with a number of top researchers who all blame sugar for the increased incidence of Adult Onset Diabetes, heart disease and …even cancer! I have been on the forefront of the alternative health movement for almost thirty years and I have been preaching to anyone who would listen, that sugar feeds cancer cells. In fact in 2003, I did a reading for one of the top researchers from one of the nation’s biggest pharmaceutical companies that produces many of the chemotherapeutic agents in circulation today. She concurred that “Yes, cancer cells are glucose supported but this fact is not widely discussed outside of scientific circles.” Why not? This piece of information could punch a huge hole in the lucrative cancer industry. But, because a cancer cell contains 16 more insulin receptors sites, it is proof that any fast growing cell needs sugar to grow and proliferate. Wake up people, cut down on the sugar and keep yourselves out of the cancer zone! Sugar (sucrose), fructose, high fructose corn syrup, alcohol, honey, maple syrup, processed fruit juice, and even agave nectar, are all sugars and they act in exactly the same way. Good idea to keep these sugar consumption to a minimum, and now this is confirmed by newsmakers.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57407294/is-sugar-toxic/?tag=pop;stories
Tags: allergies, dietician, healthy
Dieticians Don’t Have All The Answers Posted on March 27th, 2012
Recently I was asked to comment on a “healthy recipe” by an Arizona dietician. I find dietician and Cordon-Bleu educated chef, Michelle Dudash way off base with her recipe in the Arizona Republic: Oven-Baked Cheese Sticks with Marinara Sauce. Dieticians don’t have all the answers as is clearly revealed in this recipe. My mother was a dietitian. I grew up on home-made whole-wheat bread, yogurt and lots of cheese. I suffered horribly for years from constipation, respiratory problems and recurrent ear infections. If my mother had known about common food allergies as well as her wealth of knowledge about good nutrition, I would have been a much healthier child. Many people consult with nutritionists and dietitians. These people can be very knowledgeable about fat grams, calories, dietary requirements of vitamins and minerals as well as a wealth of important information but, they are still missing the “food allergy” piece. Common food allergies are: dairy, wheat, soy, corn and yeast – all foods which comprise the bulk of the American diet. No wonder we have so many health related problems! If I wanted to convert this recipe, I would have used “gluten free” bread sticks and tangy pecorino or sheep Romano cheese grated on the top – then go ahead and dip in the marinara sauce!
http://bit.ly/yhHCKM
Tags: baby, married, out of wedlock, unwed mother
Unwed Mothers – Now a Majority Posted on March 21st, 2012
When I was a teenager in the 1950’s, the stigma attached to being an “unwed mother” was something to be avoided at all costs. The very notion of bringing a baby into the world without a father, or face the prospect of a “shotgun wedding” was considered a fate worse than death, and a young, secretly sexually-active female’s deepest fear. I remember Mildred (not her real name) disappearing mysteriously from school one day, supposedly being shipped off to a “home for unwed mothers.” This all seems like the mores of a bygone era – my grandchildren call it “the olden days.” Now, in the eyes of the world, there is nothing wrong with having a baby out of wedlock, in fact – it appears to be the norm, in women before the age of 30. Fifty years ago, as many as a third of American marriages were precipitated by a pregnancy. Now, after steadily rising for five decades, the share of children born to unmarried women has crossed an important threshold: more than half the births to American women under the age of 30 occur outside marriage. The fastest growth in the last two decades has occurred among white women in their 20’s with some college education. Liberal analysts argue that shrinking paychecks have thinned the ranks of marriageable men, while conservatives argue that the sexual revolution has reduced the incentive to wed. There is also a rise in births among couples who are living together but not married. “Women used to rely on men, but we don’t need them anymore,” said Teresa Fragoso a single mother in Lorain, Ohio. We support ourselves, we support our kids.” It has been my experience and observation as a health consultant, in a line of 50 women seeking assistance with health issues, there will be a number, who in their mid-thirties, have not yet made the decision to have children or not. I counsel them to have that discussion with the inner most part of their being. Do not tarry, do not wait. Father or no father, there is no longer a stigma attached to bringing a child into the world and raising it alone. Probably not ideal, but worse would be wanting a child, and not having one at all. If a woman wants to be a mother, this new evidence shows a growing trend in that direction.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/18/us/for-women-under-30-most-births-occur-outside-marriage.html?pagewanted=all
Tags: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Moneyball, Oakland A's
Moneyball – Is Good Posted on March 12th, 2012
I have never been a baseball fan. In fact, baseball was my nemesis as a kid growing up. Every morning in spring, before the school bell rang, there would be a scrub baseball (softball) game on the hardscrabble grounds of the school yard. I got picked last. I couldn’t throw, I couldn’t catch. I was dismal as a baseball player. I have never been a fan of Brad Pitt. A lot of people get excited about him. Not me. But Pitt redeems himself in Moneyball as the nonchalant, gum chewing, cup spitting GM of the Oakland A’s who through some unfathomable computer-generated analysis for picking players, takes the A’s to a winning streak. But GM Billy Beane’s foil is really his side kick, techno-wizard and math genius, Peter Brand played by Jonah Hill. The two play off each other with a kind of magic that is entrancing even to a non-baseball fan. Moneyball is based on a true story, a movie for anybody who has ever dreamed of taking on the system. Moneyball – worth the watch!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1210166/
People V. The State of Illusion Posted on March 1st, 2012
On the subject of films, look out for an intriguing independent film by Austin Vickers. Vickers began his career as a trial lawyer for one of the largest law firms in the world. He later went in-house with a Fortune 100 company where he served as General Counsel for one of their European divisions. In 2000, he resigned from his position to pursue his passion for changing lives. For the last decade, Vickers has been teaching personal leadership, and the science and power of imagination, to top organizations and individuals across the “state of Illusion,” as a way of illustrating the trial of life that each of us must go through. Austin Vickers debut film, People V. The State of Illusion, is woven around a frightening legal case, which provides the backdrop for personal self-examination. Colorful, and at times disturbing characters in the film, showcase our own view of reality, and how little of actual reality we are even capable of becoming aware. According to Vickers, who narrates the film, this limited view is what leads to our illusions and helps create limitations in our life. People V. The State of Illusion is being shown in independent theatres across the country. A must see!
http://www.thestateofillusion.com/
Tags: diet drug, FDA, Qnexa, weight loss
OMG – New Diet Pill! Posted on February 27th, 2012
Apparently the FDA is concerned about a new diet drug that’s about to hit the market – without adequate testing! The new drug Qnexa is a combination if two existing drugs: phentermine, which is a psycho-stimulant (remember phen-phen!) and the epilepsy and migraine drug topiramate or Topomax. With 60 percent of Americans either overweight or obese, this drug could provide an option to bariatric surgery or the traditional diet and exercise route, not-to-mention a huge boon to the drug manufacturer. But like all other drugs, Qnexa has potential side effects especially to pregnant women, where studies show the use of topiramate during pregnancy increases the risk of “oral clefts” or cleft lip by a ratio of two to five. Drug manufacturers are pushing for the new drug to be released without further testing and, it looks like this could happen! Not a good idea in my opinion.
When are people going to realize that weight loss is not a mystery? My bestselling diet book The Body Knows Diet ~Cracking the Weight Loss Code, clearly defines the five components of successful weight loss – not one of them includes the use of drugs. It is scary to think of the lengths to which some people will go to lose weight, when simple guidelines will net results. Alas, many physicians are unaware that subclinical-low thyroid and imbalanced hormones are often the root of stubborn weight problems. Why not follow that trail on an individual patient basis? Unless habits are changed, testing done and simple guidelines followed, no drug will ever be a permanent solution to the weight loss game.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/18/health/fda-still-wary-of-diet-pills-side-effects.html
Tags: Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher, Meryl Streep, movie
Iron Lady Posted on January 31st, 2012
Everyone should see the movie Iron lady. Not just people who admire actress Meryl Streep but people who know remember former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher – Iron Lady. In the seventies, I faintly remember the state of chaos in Britain, the precursor for Margaret Thatcher’s arrival at number 10 Downing Street. Labor unions were demanding unrealistic wage increases, more people than necessary were engaged in performing menial jobs and tea-breaks and feather bedding was the order of the day. Margaret Thatcher was a shop-keeper’s daughter. She knew from an early age that you could only spend as much as you earned. Margaret Thatcher’s political career has been one of the most remarkable of modern times. Born in October 1925 at Grantham, a small town in eastern England, she rose to become the first (and for two decades the only) woman to lead a major Western democracy. She won three successive General Elections and served as British Prime Minister for more than eleven years, a record unmatched in the twentieth century. Let’s hear it for woman power!
With dogged determination, during her term of office Thatcher reshaped almost every aspect of British politics, reviving the economy, reforming outdated institutions, and reinvigorating the nation’s foreign policy. One of few women in the British House of Commons, she challenged and did much to overturn the psychology of decline which had become rooted in the country since the Second World War, pursuing national recovery with striking energy and determination.
Margaret Thatcher became one of the worlds’ most influential and respected political leaders, as well as one of the most controversial, dynamic, and plain-spoken, a reference point for friends and enemies alike. The Iron Lady is the subject of a controversial new film starring Meryl Streep. The film, is shown through the lens of an elderly and nostalgic Margaret Thatcher, and tells the story of her rise and fall in British parliament through a series of flash-backs. Streep’s performance is so compelling, that you almost believe, that you are witnessing the actual Margaret Thatcher on the screen. Lady Thatcher, now age 87, increasingly frail and forgetful after suffering a series of minor strokes, lives out her declining years in her elegant home in London’s Belgravia district. I wonder what she would think of the film?
Tags: Pico Iyer, quiet, relaxation
A Quiet Weekend Posted on January 24th, 2012
Have you been longing for a quiet weekend? Are you hankering to unplug and get away from electronic input? You are not alone. It seems that more and more people are taking breaks from the constant distraction of emails, texts, tweets, postings, faxes and the flat screen. Life is precious, and if it does not rejuvenate, it must be adjusted to create the balance we all crave. People in large numbers are turning to yoga, tai chi, Pilates, and other forms of exercise that include a meditative perspective. My favorite sans-electronic get-a-way is boating. A quiet afternoon on my boat, feeds my soul. I know people that adhere to a “laptop shut” policy at 5pm. When they get home, they make a commitment to leave i-Phones and Blackberrys in a basket by the front door, and conversation is the order of the day at the dinner table. Our high-tech and high-speed lives leave little time for human interaction. One of my favorite authors, Pico Iyer wrote eloquently about electronic input and the choices that people are now making: long walks without cell phones, visits to museums and libraries, pursuits like golf, cross-country skiing and sailing that require focus and a connection with the healing powers of nature. Such choices are becoming more and more necessary in our electronic age. Much of the stress about which we complain, is related to the never-ending barrage from our techno world. But would anyone want to trade it for the horse and buggy or the plough?
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/opinion/sunday/the-joy-of-quiet.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all