Say What?!?

do you have any alternate phone number? oh my bday? july 13, 1930

is the part that you looking is a cantilever ? oh no...you cant deliver it? lol

The Hormone that Makes You FAT

Do you have problems with eating? Do you get easily full? Or it does take 3 hours for you to be satisfied? Obese? Malnourished? Indeed a problem.

When I was small I have this nickname (some of my cousins still calling me until now) which means fat. One of my cousins named me this with respect to my weight. Yes! I was fat and chunky; cute as what they describe it. But to think of the present, I am the mere opposite of the past. I am just ranging from 95 to 99lbs. I even struggle to maintain 101lbs for a week or two. I am so desperate to gain weight or just even to be normal for my height. I was never normal. So it’s an affirmative! I’m always abnormal. (To think I behave like I really am).

One evening, I was bored and started reading magazines I have in my room. (It was not really reading but purely scanning). I came across the topic about eating, specifically on appetite. The article is talking about a diet hormone which is called LETIN. Letin is responsible and influences our eating behavior, and to the amino acid protein galanin, which stimulates the desire to eat. (I hope I don’t sound like I’m talking in Latin).

What now? A diet which is high in calorie and high in fat may trigger chemical changes that make the body less resistant to hormone leptin. More explanations? Calorie-rich and fat-rich food such as fast food, donuts and curls or those stuff we consider “junks” make us crave to eat more and are surely addicting. This means our brain loses its ability to respond to these hormones as body fat increases. Take these kids as an example. Looks like these kids doesn’t have any hormone letin at all. I don’t want to name stores or whatsoever but fast food as a word well really obvious what are those. Now I know what makes an obese REALLY OBESE. Think of the fatty molecules stuck in your blood vessels. Supposed a free flowing blood is now moving viciously causing high blood pressure and worst, coronary heart diseases such as Myocardial Infarction.

Solution? Burn your thick fats! Exercise! Eat balance diet! Lower your cholesterol! Live a healthy life!

As to myself, letin is really working. Maybe I need a little fat to signal my brain to increase my appetite; a daily visit to fast food especially to the big M (which is kind of expensive I think) will make me fat; or steroid use? (Which I never thought of using); or an inspiration (if you know what I am talking about); or/and sometimes I think still, THIN IS IN!

I Guess You are Guessing DOC

Mother, mother I am sick. Call the doctor very quick.

Doctors. Respected figures in the medical field. Ten years or more at school to study and learn the human body; to alleviate pain, to cure and to KILL?

“It was in the local news” my friend exclaimed.

“They even sued the doctor who did that. Yeah. My cousin lost his arm. It was amputated” he added.

This conversation was real. A friend’s cousin lost his right arm. It was amputated because of negligence and malpractice of the doctor who cared for him. He was playing basketball and accidentally landed on his arms and has got an open fracture. He was rushed in the hospital and treated. Cast was wrapped on his fractured arm. IT WAS NOT CLEANED AND DRESSED, though. Hearing this line from my friend made me boiling mad thinking that I am in the medical profession too, a nurse. After a week or two, the patient noticed that he could no longer feel his arm and smelled a foul odor coming from the cast. They visited the hospital. The cast was opened and to their surprised, the hand was already gangrenous and ready to be cut. The unfortunate guy is now always wearing long-sleeved tops just to cover his amputated arm.

I was in the local news as well…a post graduate intern (PGI) unintentionally killed the baby by pulling it from the mother’s birth canal and left the head inside. This was so drastic medical malpractice and negligence. As how it was happened, I’d rather not discuss it. It is just worst than the first case mentioned.

Late at night, someone bothered me saying we need to go to the hospital. Well, as a nurse I need to be available 24/7. Just on my shorts and Tee, we rushed to the hospital. The patient can’t breathe and was vomiting. To make the story short, the doctor arrived and assessed the patient. He auscultated the patient and asked the patient if what time she vomited. The patient replied and the doctor said, “It’s GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease)”. It was like a big question mark appeared in front of my head. Eyebrows met questioning the doctor’s diagnosis. How can he diagnose a patient by simply doing that? He gave prescription to neutralize the acid and we went home. After a day, the patient was rushed in the hospital again concerning that she can’t breathe. The same complain she had a day after she was DIAGNOSED to have GERD. This time she was catered by a different doctor. Ha! It was pneumonia. She was on nebulizer for 3 days and after then she’s fine.

These are just few of the dismaying and horrifying events you can see in the local news or even for real. Where are the sworn statements of these doctors not to cause harm to their patients? We are not bunch of guinea pigs for experimentation. We consult doctors for cure but they keep on giving the wrong diagnosis. Of course wrong diagnosis would give wrong medication. These are just few of the obnoxious exemptions to those doctors who are doing their best for their patients. To those doctors who are not doing their jobs very well, practice your profession well before your patients sue you and revoke your license. Is this all about money or the desire to prolong the lives of these hopeless patients? Some of these doctors are just lucky enough that their patients are just not really educated enough or has the money to sue them. Now for the patients, how sure are you that your doctor is giving you the right diagnosis? Is it just a flu or swine flu?

Small Potatoes for Big Minds

I hate the given definition of the word "trivia" in my Encarta dictionary. It says "unimportant things: a collection of insignificant or obscure items, details, or information". Well, I beg to differ. Trivia are actually small pieces of information that people usually tend to be uninformed of. These are useful information that often we overlook. For an instance, we know that the skeletal system is composed of bones, obviously. However, the trivia set in as what is the biggest bone or the tiniest; the longest and the shorted; the heaviest and the lightest. Through trivia, we dig deeper to a certain topic that we know frivolously. Even renowned game shows use trivia for the million question.

Learn new trivia and answer the million question. If you can't join a game show, anyway, like what my blog description says "The more you learn, the more you realize how stupid you are." Free your mind from stupidity. Learn trifles and small beers for you to sound smart and be smart.

Every month, I'll be posting several trivia for your brain to guzzle. New information to learn, new ideas ponder and new facts to share.

To start this issue, let's have trivia about ME. Ha!

Just in case you don't know.

I've got long Hair – Hair grows rapidly when it is short. Its rate of growth varies about 2 cm or (about ¾ in) per month. The more the hair grow, the more the speed of growth reduces by one-half. The fastest growth is found in women from 16 – 24 years old.

Black Deep Eyes. – The eyeball is the only part of the body that doesn't change or even grow since birth until we die.

Brown skin with fine downy hair – Fine downy hair can only be found in newborns unless you are anorexic or shall I say skinny. In the absence of fats, the body signals to grow fine hair all over our body for the thermoregulation. The hair rise when it's cold and do the opposite when it's hot. In matters regarding psychology, hairy people are actually aggressive in nature. Oops, check yours. Don't give me that smirk on your face. Is the trivia right or what?

Melanin, the coloring pigment of the skin. Black people are abundant with melanin. Whites have less and albinos have none. Skin cancer is common to Caucasians because of the white skin color. Nevertheless, black and brown people are still prone to have skin cancer.

Well, enough of me. I'll have more trivia in the next issue of this feature which I call SMALL POTATOES FOR BIG MINDS.

Kids Spell Love T-I-M-E

It’s been awhile since I wrote a blog. Few weeks ago the mind of a writer is not in me. I felt so down; bombarded with problems concerning my friend’s untimely pregnancy. I have something in mind but I could not even think of a good title and I was so lazy to scribble. Indeed, the mood of the blogger affects the beauty of a well-polished blog.

After experiencing the process of DABDA in Stages of Grief, I am ready for a new blog. Oh wait, maybe you might be wondering what is DABDA. DABDA is an acronym for the 5 stages of Grief according to Kubler-Ross. The acronym stands for D=Denial, the stage where you deny the occurrence of an overwhelming situation, A=Anger, the feeling where you blame someone responsible for the awful event, B=Bargaining, seeks delay the dreaded event, D=Depression, accepting the awful reality, and A=Acceptance, the stage to see the brighter side and move on to a better life. DABDA may convey dying as its main use in nursing, on the other hand, I can say that we can use this on horrifying events that we might be experiencing. 

However, this is not about that matter. This blog is about the ever legendary definition of LOVE. I know this article is too late for the Heart’s Day but blogging is not seasonal and it is always on whim. We are often blinded with the real meaning of LOVE. In connection, untimely pregnancies, hasty motherhood/fatherhood and abortions are the common end if we indulge ourselves in intimate relationship. Can you differentiate what is REAL LOVE from ROMANTIC INFATUATION? Frequently human as we are, think that the fast beating of your heart when you see that person, when you can not get him/her out of your mind is love. Are you certain about it? Which feeling can you exclaim that it is love and which one is not?

In my church, we have this annual event for the youth which we call “Love Banquet”. It showcases concerns about Christian youth dealing about Courting, Dating and Relationships. I’ve had learned a good point how to distinguish Love from puppy love, which, I want my friends and fellow bloggers to know as well. Hopefully, after this you can decipher the difference between the two and be wise enough.

ROMANTIC INFATUATION/PUPPY LOVE:

The kind if feeling that happens suddenly and without warning. People often call this as “connection”. The common dictum that says I’m falling in love. The affection is based on sight and more on physical attraction e.g. beautiful/handsome, tall, sexy/hunk and it is more on your “ideals”. A self-centered (always demanding “if you love me, you need to do this”, possessive (I own you), fantasy and blind kind of feeling and emphasizes external beauty.

On contrast,

REAL/TRUE LOVE

This emotion grows in the passing of time. This feeling is about you being slowly but surely getting to know the person more and it’s grown in love. It is based on knowledge and character attraction. (You love the person not because he/she is good looking, or because he/she is intelligent. It is more on accepting his/her strengths and weaknesses. It is steady, commitment a waits. This is factual as to the idea that true love waits. The feeling is outgoing, never demanding, respects decisions and supportive, sees and knows and emphasizes internal beauty. 

You may add other things as how you personally experience both feelings but I am really convinced that these set of descriptions are good enough for you to know if it’s real or not. The next time you feel it, THINK. As what the common adage says “It is better to be broken hearted than to have broken family in the future”. What is Real Love for you? Inform the world what do you feel. Post a comment. Enjoy being loved and being in love.

What the...F***?!

We can always hear cussing or cursing using this word especially English speaking people - movies, chatrooms and notably colloquial conversations. In my experience as a member, moderator or even owner of a certain chatroom, I can never stand a day without seeing chatters using the F word. They use the F word in anything. For an instance, "I love you very much.", they will make it as I love you f***ing much. I am not convincing you to do the same. I have got a question though. Using this word, do you really know what is the meaning of it? Or you just simply using it because of the trend? 

The usual meaning people will give if we ask them about What does F word means, It's "Sex". Well for you to be intellectually equipped with the real meaning of this word. You need to read the next items.

F***. A word or an acronym. There are several explanation how they came up with  F.*.*.*. Whatever it is,  let us dissect it into an explainable lines.

Variant #1

Having consulted the definitive reference work on this subject (yes, there is such a thing: "The F-Word" by Jesse Sheidlower, published by Random House in 1999).
The word f*** did not originate as an acronym. It crept, fully formed, into the English language from Dutch or Low German around the 15th century (it's impossible to say precisely when because so little documentary evidence exists, probably due to the fact that the word was so taboo throughout its early history that people were afraid to write it down). The American Heritage Dictionary says its first known occurrence in English literature was in the satirical poem "Flen, Flyss" (c.1500), where it was not only disguised as a Latin word but encrypted � gxddbov � which has been deciphered as fuccant, pseudo-Latin for "they f***." 

According to Sheidlower, the earliest claims in print of supposed acronymic origins for the F-word appeared during the 1960s. An underground newspaper called the East Village Other published this version in 1967: 

Variant #2

It's not commonly known that the word "f***" originated as a medical diagnostic notation on the documents of soldiers in the British Imperial Army. When a soldier reported sick and was found to have V.D., the abbreviation F.*.*.*. was stamped on his documents. It was short for "Found Under Carnal Knowledge." Two more variants appeared in a letter published in Playboy magazine in 1970: 

Other claims that the word f*** originated in the 15th Century, when a married couple needed permission from the king to procreate. Hence, Fornication Under Consent of the King. I maintain that it's an acronym of a law term used in the 1500s that referred to rape as Forced Unnatural Carnal Knowledge." Undoubtedly the most famous use of this etymological travesty was as the title of the 1991 Van Halen album, "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge." 

Variant #3

Aside from the Latin "fuccant" as a basis of origin, the most logical variant that I have heard is the following. That even in the relatively crude times of the middle ages, the catholic church along with local governments, following religious doctrine, kept sins of the flesh and crime down with fairly stern punishments (i.e. beatings, hanging, burning, dismemberment). 

This practice was only challenged after the first coinciding of the bubonic plague in England in the 1340's. After the conservatively estimated death tole of roughly 30 to 60 percent of the English population, the previously very militaristic King Edward III was faced with a shortage of manpower and with it, food supplies, infrastructure, and (probably most important to the king) public sentiment. Understandingly the list of offenses requiring death were shortened as adding insult to injury was not in the king's favor. 

One method proposed to him for alleviating the population scarcity was "fornication under consent of the king" whereby, for a time, the crime of unlawful fornication was stricken from punishment if the person in question was unmarried. It was the hope that the royal decree (basically a scare tactic) would encourage more people to wed and in turn have children. Whether it worked or not is history's guess but as a cynical person I like this theory best. 

One of the the most gory and tragic times in England history is time of HENRY III. Because of plague, homicide, battles, wars half of England population died and English army had insufficient soldiers. Te king was worried about the future of Great Britain. That at the end, he has a research made and found out that there were lots of rascal men in jails and dungeons and so much prostitutes as well. He decided to allow them to make love for increasing the population of England .

Mating was organized in jails between prostitutes and rascal men to provide population explosion. Since it was done by the permission of king it was known as " Fornication Under the Control of King" or abbreviated(F.U.C.K). In 15 years population increased twofold. 

Well those were the 3 variants where the F word originated.

• Thanks to WikiAnswer for the Help. :)

Why Do We Yawn?

Why do we yawn when we are tired? Or feel bored? Or is it contagious?

It is an erroneous notion to say that you yawn because you are tired or bored likewise yawning is contagious. The rationale behind is more profound than the common idea. You yawn for one exact reason. It has something to do with our lungs specifically oxygen exchange.

When we yawn, or when you see somebody else do so, it is a sign of great need. That need is for more oxygen in your lungs. When you have been sitting in a room where the air has become stale your body cries out for oxygen to cleanse and purify your blood – and the quickest way to supply that need is to open the mouth wide and gulp air. Better still, you should get out into the fresh air and breathe deeply. You will then find that the need to yawn will vanish, because you are getting supply of oxygen.

You must have noticed that you sometimes yawn when you are tired. This means your body-cells need renewal, and your blood needs help in its continual task of reaching and restoring the farthest parts of the body. It indicates oxygen-hunger. Going to sleep not only rest the body, but sets up deep rhythmic breathing which satisfies this hunger.

Why should you yawn when you are bored? You are probably not breathing deeply and feeding your lungs as you should. Your body position affects how you take in air and the process of consuming it. Most likely if you are bored inside the classroom listening to the most boring, blunt teacher of your greatly hated subject. Of course, the ideal cure is to escape from what is boring you. Wait, I didn’t say that you need to skip your classes because of boredom. Pardon me for the misconception you have in your mind. What I am trying to say is if that is not possible, try breathing deeply. This will not get rid of the boredom. But it will tend to stop the yawning.

As to your dilemma how to escape boredom, enroll yourself in BOREDOM CLASS 101 (if there’s such a thing).

Sunday, December 23, 2012 is Dooms Day?

Dooms Day means the destruction of the Earth and the end of human race.

Just this morning, before our church service ended, my church pastor exclaimed something about Dooms Day that will happened on 2012. I was intrigued by the idea that I decided to make it as an article. Bad thing,  I was not horrified by the news, though. The assurance of eternal life I have makes me not to be dreadful with that event if inadvertently is it true. 

The scientific explanation how things will happen can be seen on Youtube. I posted one video which I consider the explanation is well-defined. Here is it.

Now, it is up to you to believe in this explanation. Did you feel awful? happy? Or what? What will happen next? Are you ready to die? 

If this query will be asked to me, my answer is, I believe that this world is governed with a supernatural being yclept God. He is the Alpha and the Omega. He created this world and He is responsible for taking it back. Whenever that year would be, I am ready to face my Savior. But then, 2012? This is not true. We don't hold the future to say that it will end in that year. There  were so many destructive predictions about things even the death of influential people that we can see, it did not happen. God has His own time table. One day for Him may take 1 millenium for us. Why will a fear death anyway? Everyone will face that reality. Well at least in my case I have this eternal security where  I rely on. 

Hmmm, well I supposed to post this article on my other blog but yeah it is still informative in a sense I defined Dooms Day. Not all of us understands the word Doom. Anyway, you still have the last say to believe. 

Did You Sleep Well Last Night? What Happened?

Last night Oprah Winfrey’s Show featured a health problem called sleep eating disorder. Nurse as my main profession came into action. It was my first time to make out and even witness that kind of sleeping disorder. So, it bothers me that I researched about it. Now, absurdity rises knowing that I don’t know this kind of disorder. The odd thing is, I never heard or learn about this kind of disorder when I was in college studying my major nor on review center when I was reviewing for my country’s nursing exam. Good heavens, I feel insensible as a nurse. But yeah, now I know about it that excuses me to become an idiot. :D

A common type of sleeping disorder would be somnambulism or sleep walking. It is a sleep problem that mostly occurs in deep sleep, when dreams are absent. Sleepwalking, often accompanied by talking during sleep, rarely results in injury; if infrequent, it is not considered a sign of serious mental disorder.

Now, the main thought, what is a sleep eating disorder? As the word speaks for itself, it is a problem that would occur while you are sleeping. People affected with this glitch are unconsciously eating while sleeping. By the morning, they have the recollection of things happened like a spoon on their beds or crumbs of cookies they ate when they were asleep. According to the doctor interviewed by Oprah, people who are commonly affected are obese or stressed.  Yeah, that sort of the bird's eyeview of the topic but to answer the question. Here is the complete explanation of this disorder.  Have fun reading and learning.

*Sleep eating disorders are characterized by abnormal eating patterns during the night.

Sleep eating is a sleep disorder that causes furious, uncontrolled nighttime eating urges.

Usually sleep eaters don't remember what they've done when they wake up as they asleep during their binges.

Sleep eating can be dangerous. Sleep eaters usually go for the sugar and the fat. Pasta or peanut butter is typical fare. Some sleep eaters realize what they've done and take steps to prevent recurrence.

But their preventive methods usually do not address the basic problem. They lock the refrigerator door, install motion detectors in the kitchen, eat extra vigorously at dinner to avoid being hungry later and limit the amount of food they keep in the house.

About 1.5% of the population, are effected with sleep eating, but the number of people diagnosed is rising as doctors learn more about it. Women are twice as likely to sleep-eat as men; people who've struggled with eating disorders or obesity are more prone to this sleep eating disorder.
Symptoms Of Sleep Eating

Symptoms of NES include the following and often persist for at least two months
 Little or no appetite for breakfast. 

 Eating more food after dinner than during the meal.

 Eating more than half of daily food intake after dinner hour.

 Weight gain, daytime fatigue, and unexplained bruises are the common symptoms of sleep eating.

Cause Of Sleep Eating Disorders:
Stress may be a factor
Low levels of melatonin and cortisol may play a role.
Fluctuations in hormone levels, and increased stress.
Sleep apnea or restless-legs syndrome may partially arouse the individual during non-rapid-eye-movement sleep and prompt a nocturnal eating episode

Nocturnal sleep eating disorder can occur during sleepwalking, even though it is not as common as sleepwalking. People with this disorder eat while they are asleep.

They often walk into the kitchen and prepare food without a remembrance for having done so. If nocturnal sleep eating disorder occurs often enough, a person can experience weight gain and develop diabetes.

Night eating syndrome is a closely related to nocturnal sleep eating disorder, is diagnosed when a person eats during the night with full consciousness and may be unable to fall asleep again unless he/she eats.

Even though this sleep eating disorder if mostly found in women, both men and women are at equal risk to these disorders. About one to three percent of the general population is affected and 10% to 15% of people with eating disorders are affected by sleep eating disorders.

Many of these individuals diet during the day, which may leave them hungry and prone to binge eating at night when their control is weakened by sleep. In some cases, people with sleep eating disorders have histories of drug abuse, alcoholism, and other sleep disorders.
Treatments For Sleep Eating Disorder:

Treatment of sleep eating disorders begins with a clinical interview and may include an overnight stay in a sleep laboratory, where brain activity is monitored during the night.

Medications

Medication can be helpful sometimes for these disorders; however, sleeping pills should be avoided as they can increase uncertainty and clumsiness that can lead to injury. Additional treatments may include methods to release stress and anxiety.

*Courtesy of  www.sleepdisorderguide.com

Learning New Vocabulary

Working as an ESL (English as Second Language) tutor has been a huge challenge to me. Randomly I am assigned for various task, in an instance, to be a conversation tutor, idiom tutor or the most exciting the vocabulary tutor.

English as a subject and as a language is a very broad thing to discuss it is called a greatest thief according to an article I've read. How so? For a reason that English is not really english. It is a compilation of coined words from different languages.

What is the context?

The context is the part of a passage in which a particular word is used and which helps to explain that word. Suppose you were asked for the meaning of BEAR. Could you give a definite answer? Obviously not, for bear, as presented to you, has no context.

But if you were asked to define bear in the phrase "polar bear", you would immediately know it refers to animal. Or, if someone were to say, "Please stop whistling - I can't bear it," you would know that in this context bear means "endure" or "stand".

Why is the context important?

An important point for those of us who want to enlarge our vocabularies is this: the context can give us the meaning not only of familiar words like bear, but also of unfamiliar words.

Suppose, for example, you were asked for the meaning of VALIANT. You might not know it, unless, of course, you already have a fine vocabulary. But if you were to meet valiant in the following context, you would have a very good change of discovering its meaning:

Too Bad. You Got Caught.

CHEATERS, a reality based show in United States capturing the real infidelity of guys, mostly and let's not be bias, the girls as well.

This TV series makes me smirk. The fact that, do we really need to flick through our partners to check if they are cheating? Ok. Whatever cRyo! Before I get more sentimental I’ll give you few information about this reality TV show.

The show started 2000 created by a Dallas lawyer, Bobby Goldstein. The show is filmed mostly in North Texas around the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex as well as the Houston area.

Cheaters episodes usually follow two unrelated complainants and follow a typical pattern:
 -An episode usually begins with a brief interview with a complainant and a description of that complainant's partner.
 -The episode shows investigation surveillance footage narrated by Robert Magruder. Later, the host shows portions of the footage to the complainant, which usually shows the complainant's partner cheating.
 -After the complainant views the often-graphic video evidence, the host, the complainant, and a large group of camera and sound operators, drivers, and bodyguards seek out and confront the alleged cheater.
 -Often during the confrontation, either a nasty verbal argument or violence will take place.
 -The episode ends with parting thoughts from complainants, their partners, and any suspects. The narrator summarizes what appear to be post-facto interviews with each person. People who do not sign releases with the producers of the show are anonymized and their faces obscured.
 -On occasion, Cheaters shows updates from past guests and their allegedly cheating partners.
 -Very few episodes show that the alleged cheater was not really cheating.
 -There have been episodes that featured homosexual couples.
(Courtesy of Wikipedia)

I don’t really watch this show or to say an avid fan of it. Just an encounter that I can say this is a great show for CHEATERS who keeps on cheating their partners. Oh well, there’s this Hindu philosophy which is called KARMA that says what goes around comes around. This means the quality of somebody's current and future lives as determined by that person's behavior in this and in previous lives.

Consequently, cheaters before your private thing cut off; before your partner complains you through this reality TV show, stop cheating.

Or how true, GUYS, MEN, DUDES were born polygamous? Oooops! Before you get your head fiery, well not all shall I say. Better?

Welcome Note

Hi everyone! It's 2009 and it's nice to start a new blog. My last blog was left unattended because of so many reasons I have but but but it is still working together with this blog, cRyoGirl's Ask An Idiot - my newest blog. Hope you will like it and as you chat you learn with the blogs I am making. Take care and have a nice day!

Welcome 2009!

Wow! It’s the FIRST brand new day of a pristine new year. Respecting the Day 1 of 2009, I want to undertake topics about FIRSTs that you may not know which happened and taken as part of our history. May it be first in the field of technology, science, medicine and health; which are my field, and other things that came as first in this world. Have fun reading and learning. Have an intelligent and knowledgeable new year!

AIDS. When, where, how, who?

More than a quarter of a century has passed since the U.S. stood on the brink of the AIDS Epidemic but the cure is still a dilemma. These contemporary years AIDS victims propagate in number. Some were diagnosed, some are unknowingly victims of this noxious and fatal disease. In this section I’ll discuss to you how AIDS started and what are the important occurrence happened since the disease was disclosed.

1981 – The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports the FIRST clusters of rare illnesses – Pneumocystis carinii (PCP) and Kaposi’s Sarcoma – in young gay men.

1982 – The CDC officially names the new illness acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and originally identifies four “risk factors:” male homosexuality, intravenous drug abuse, Haitian origin, and Hemophilia A.

1984 – The virus causing AIDS is isolated. It will eventually be named the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).


1986 – President Reagan FIRST mentions the word AIDS in a public forum, and U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop calls for education and condom use. Gay rights activist Cleve Jones creates the first panel of the AIDS Quilt in San Francisco; eventually the quilt will have more than 40,000 panels. Universal Precautions are required in all hospitals and blood-related environments.

1987 – The FIRST antiretroviral drug –zidovudine, or AZT- is approved by the FDA. The AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) is established in New York to protest the cost of AZT, and the drug’s price is lowered. Randy Shilt’s book about AIDS epidemic, And the Band Played On, is published.

1988 – The country’s first comprehensive needle exchange program is established in Tacoma, Washington.


1991 – The red ribbon is introduced as the national symbol of AIDS awareness. The NBA’s Earvin “Magic” Johnson announces he is HIV-positive with HIV and AIDS.

1995 – The FIRST protease inhibitor, saquinavir, is approved by the FDA, beginning highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for HIV/AIDS.

Now, AIDS victims are waiting for the FIRST ever remedy for this deadly disease that affects estimated 40 billion people worldwide; more than half of them live in Sub-Saharan Africa. Most do not know they are infected.

No one is exempted with this serious incurable disease. So practice the SS “Safe Sex”, or the better way if you are not married SS “Self Service”. Protect yourself. No Needles. No unprotected sex. No unscreened blood transfusion.

What’s for breakfast?

It is part of Western breakfast meal to have cereals on their table. Cereals, of course, in the general sense, including wheat, rice, maize (corn), rye, oats and barley were among the earliest plants grown by man. But packaged or processed cereals are modern development.

Breakfast cereals owe their origin to the vegetarians of the last century and health fanatics who believed they could save souls by preaching the virtues of a non-meat diet.

Granula, which was the beginning of Grape-Nuts, was launched in 1863 by a man called James C. Jackson, of Danville, New York. Henry D. Perkey brought out Shredded Wheat in 1893 and Puffed Wheat was developed by Alexander Anderson in 1902.

The religious sect, the Seventh Day Adventist, made Battle Creek, Michigan, the cereal headquarters of the world when the sect formed the Western Health Reform Institute at Battle Creek in 1868, later called the Battle Creek Sanatorium. John Harvey Kellogg, who was a doctor and a writer, took over control of the sanatorium in 1876 and his advocacy of cereals helped to develop what was to become a vast new food industry. His brother, W.K. Kellogg, started a cereal producing company in 1906.

C.W. Post was another cereal pioneer and his Postum Cereal Company formed into General Foods Corporation.

The basic idea behind packaged cereals has remained largely unchanged.

Anyhow, cereal is not part of my meal or 90% of the Filipino community’s meal. Beside our staple food, which is rice, typical Filipino breakfast consist of sunny side up, coffee/hot chocolate, and other canned goods like corned-beef or meat loafs. The amusing thing is, sometimes I don’t eat my breakfast and according to research, breakfast is the most missed meal of the day.

FIRST Olympics

The 2008 Beijing Olympics (China) was a great success. But did you know where were the FIRST Olympic Games held?

The FIRST Olympic Games were held in Greece, in a valley between the Rivers Cladeus and Alpheus. According to tradition they were founded in 776 B.C. After that date they were held every four years until they were abolished in A.D. 393 by the Emperor Theodosius I.

At first, the Games lasted for only one day and were for running and wrestling. Later they became a five-day event, and chariot and horse racing were introduced. Well-trained young mean came from all over Greek World to compete for the prizes-crowns of olive leaves. Originally a religious festival held in honour of the Olympian Zeus, the competitors took an oath of honesty and fairness in front of the god’s statue. The athletes took part in a programme of foot racing, boxing, pancratium (all-in-wrestling), chariot racing and pentathlon (five events of long jumping, running, javelin and discus throwing, and wrestling).

At the present time, Olympics have been more prestigious. Every country prepares their athletes for 4 years of constant training for the next Olympics. Next stop…2012 London Olympics. Is Philippines ready for Olympics? No comment…

Fridge, ref…call it whatever you like.

The FIRST home refrigerator was made early in the 19th century in the United States. It consisted of an insulated cabinet into the top of which a block of ice was lowered.

The modern refrigerator which first appeared in 1918 was automatic. They use one of two methods technically known as absorption and compression – to keep foods at temperatures near freezing point, 0o Centigrade (32o Fahrenheit). The period during which foods can be preserved at this temperature is limited to a few days, but in freezers, at temperatures of -18oC (0oF) and lower, they can be stored indefinitely.

The home refrigerator of today is a double-walled box with a hinge door, the space between the walls being filled with insulating material. The door is also double-walled and insulated. A rubber gasket on the inside of the door frame maintains a seal to stop warm air leaking into the box when the door is closed.

FIRST Kites

Kites have been used in Asia since time immemorial. Some evidence dates their invention at around 1,000 B.C. Kite flying has been a national pastime for many centuries for Chinese, Japanese, Koreans and Malayans. Kites held great religious significance in Asia, as they were believed to keep evil spirits away when flown at night.

But there is also a tradition that they were invented nearly four centuries before Christ by Archytas of Tarentum, in southern Italy. He was a Greek philosopher and scientist, and a friend of Plato, the great philosopher.

Kite flying strictly for pleasure has many supporters in China, where the ninth day of the ninth month is designated Kite Day.

Kites have often been used in simple bridge building by attaching a cable to the kite and flying it across the river or gap. In meteorology kites have been used to carry weather recording instruments aloft.

The current kite flying record of four and half miles was achieved with a sting of 10 kites. The total surface of the 10 kites was 683 square feet. The line used for this record-breaking flight was more than nine miles long.

I miss being a kid flying my little kite made of paper with cable cord of thread.